New Moon's Echo
by Verteller
Summary: "First comes the return, next is the twisted plague. Finally, the ground will tremble from the rise of forgotten howls." Ichigo died winning the Quincy war. So who's the guy with orange hair and how does he know Shiro Zangetsu? Story diverges from before the end of Canon Bleach. HichiIchi yaoi.
1. New Moon

**Disclaimer: Bleach is the property of Tite Kubo and Shonen Jump respectively.**

 **Warning: This story basically takes place after the Bleach Manga, minus the last two chapters and there may be parts that can only be understood if you've read the manga. Plus, I had started writing this story before the series finished, so there might be some mixed information in the first dozen chapters or made up information based on whatever is given in order to fill in any technical holes. Other wise enjoy the story, I'll do my best to actually finish it.**

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Chapter 1

The air rushed passed Rukia, as she shunpoed towards the Karakura town park, a sleeveless captain's Haori of squad 13 flapping in the sunny, afternoon wind.

 _'This place never seems to change much...'_ mused the petite captain as she rushed towards the meeting place after surveying the town. _'20 years huh? Karakura is still safe since the Quincy war. Everyone's protecting it. You'd be proud if you could see this, wouldn't you? Ichigo?'_

Rukia paused atop a building as she watched the people below in nostalgia. 20 years ago, the Thousand Year Blood war ended in victory, but at a heavy price. Kurosaki Ichigo, Substitute Shinigami and war hero, died the week following the defeat of Juha Bach. Result of a fatal wound to the chest inflicted by the dying Quincy King. Everybody was shocked by the news. More specifically, the Substitute's closest friends and family who knew of his survival of getting a complete hole carved into his chest. Courtesy of the 4th Espada, Ulquiorra Siffer.

As Rukia continued to hop from roof to roof, she came to abrupt halt as bright orange spiked in her peripheral. Turning her head, she scanned the people below, but was greeted with the ordinary shades of blonde to ebony hair. The captain shook her head and continued onward to where the rest of the group waited in a clearing within the park, devoid of prying eyes. The same clearing that Ulquiorra and Yammy created a crater in all those years ago. Even after all those years, people still avoided the place.

"We've been committed to this festival for years now, but it's still painfully nostalgic." Said Orihime, wistfully as Rukia finally joined the waiting group. The others nodded in agreement as they turned towards the opening senkaimon.

Ever since the war, everyone, including the surviving/friendlier Arrancar, gathers in the Soul Society for the Battle Festival. For two whole weeks each year, everyone parties in Seireitei, catch up on recent news, hold various contests, mourn the fallen, and train together, as well as keep each other in check. All of the activities were directed for the purpose to remember the war, and to prepare themselves, should another devastating threat arise. This was also the very event that Rukia had come to Karakura to personally escort Orihime and Uryu, who were now married; Chad; the residence of the Urahara Shoten; and the remaining Kurosaki family members for.

"Ichigo would be glad that we have this festival to remember him and the others by." stated Chad as he stepped towards the gate.

"Knowing him, he'd probably be bitching about our stalling." replied a full grown Karin as she led an equally full grown Yuzu through the gate. The rest of the group began to follow the twins through the Senkaimon, Uryu Ishida taking up the rear. Ishida paused at the gate before proceeding.

"With all of the nostalgia, I can practically feel that berry head's obnoxious reiatsu." Proclaimed the quincy, shaking his head as he finally passed through the senkaimon, closing it as he goes, leaving a vacant park.

Meanwhile, halfway across town, a young man with bright orange hair sneezes.

* * *

"Ow!" came the sharp yelp. Ichiru Kurokatu sat on the floor in the living room, surrounded by moving boxes, while rubbing his stubbed toe.

"Stupid box." he growled, glaring at said box near the front door as he stood. Ichiru was a 19 year old teen with a tall, lith yet muscular body. Mocha eyes shined and bright orange hair that reached down his neck with bangs that fell in front of his eyes. A scowl graced his face. Currently, he was sporting a black T-shirt underneath a blood red zip-up jacket with the sleeves rolled to his elbow and a pair of cargo pants that partially covered his socked feet.

"Darn sneeze." huffed the orangette, referring to the action that caused the aforementioned box to get dropped onto his, now throbbing, toe. Ichiru walked towards the kitchen, noting that the black watch strapped to his right wrist indicated that it was almost one pm. Grabbing the fast food bag on the counter, he plopped onto the wooden floor of his dining/living room in his single bedroom apartment. While digging into his burger, Ichiru's mind turned toward his late morning experience.

Growing up, Ichiru was a single child who lived with both parents. He's also had his share of bullies due to his hair, but handled them easily. However, what really made Ichiru an outcast, even to his own parents, was his apparent ability to see spirits. Thus, the local people back in his old town, minus the idiot thugs, generally steered clear of him due to the creepy vibes he gave off. Regardless, Ichiru didn't mind and even accepted the fact that his parents wanted nothing more to do with him once he left.

In fact, the orangette felt rather at peace for moving to Karakura. He'd moved in just the night before and had been finishing up with getting the boxes into his apartment that very morning. Before moving in the last of the boxes, Ichiru made a quick run to the nearest fast food place. On his trip back, he'd noticed the petite figure clad in black and white jumping from roof to roof.

 _'Shinigami.'_ the word ran through Ichiru's thoughts as he munched on his fries. Looking back, he recalled seeing the strange figures, cloaked in black and wielding swords to purify hollows numerous times. Just like 'Shinigami', the word 'hollow' had popped up in Ichiru's mind. Without being told the orangette knew what they were. Like a distant memory, the reasons just beyond his grasp.

"No use worrying about that now." Ichiru spoke out loud. Throwing his trash away, he began to unpack his belongings. That night, Ichiru dropped onto his bed, exhausted from putting away his belongings.

 _'At least I don't have to worry about unpacking now.'_ he thought, pleased with his progress. _'Just have to take out the boxes in the morning and I'm free to explore this place...'_ Drifting off, he let his scowl fade as the breeze swept through his hair in a calming manner. Wait. What? The orangette jolted upward to a sitting position as he took in his surroundings, which most definitely was NOT his new apartment.

"Oh, here again…" muttered the young man as he layed back down in relief. This strange, sideways world filled with pale blue buildings always brought a sense of peace and tranquility to the teen whenever he wakes up to this empty world after a bad day. Normally, this only occurred every now and then. Recently though, he'd been finding himself in this world devoid of occupance, save himself, a lot more often. Now however, Ichiru was receiving the strange sensation of being watched.

Scanning his surroundings, the teen sat up again. When he looked behind him, Ichiru gave a double take as he stared at a tall blur of white. The thing was standing several yards away on the side of the skyscraper.

"Has that always been there?" Ichiru wondered out loud. He scooted so that he was sitting indian style and facing the white blob… thing.

 **"...y-... see… Ichi...?"** The teen wasn't sure how, but he knew that the blur was trying to speak to him. However, all that came out was a faint whisper, only able to catch bits and pieces. His confusion must've been apparent as the top of the blur moved. Almost as if he were shaking his head in disappointment...

"Wait… he?" Ichiru clutched the side of his head as it began to throb with pain. Confusion threatened to make his mind explode. Vague images of past dreams that he'd had flew through his head. A fire bird, an evil butterfly, and glowing blue arrows, just to name a few. The orangette noticed ,vaguely, that the white blob was now directly in front of him. Looking up, Ichiru watched in a daze as a stark white hand reached and gently stroke his hair. Exhaustion immediately settled in as the teen closed his eyes, embracing the dreamless sleep to come.

 **"Yer almost there, King…"**

* * *

 **Yep… what you see before you is a cliff. Is it a good cliff? Is it even a cliff at all? Depends on your point of view. Either way, see ya next time. I hope...**


	2. New Berry

**So… you're still reading this, huh? Good for you. I would put disclaimers, but I already did that last chapter. Plus I don't feel like typing it up. Who reads disclaimers anyways? I sure don't. One chapter with disclaimers is good enough!**

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Chapter 2

Ichiru Kurokatu glared at the sky from his spot on a park bench, hands buried in the pockets of his blue hoodie. That morning, the teen had switched to to a pair of casual jeans, green T-shirt, black converse, and the aforementioned hoodie. After putting the last empty box in in the recycle, the orangette had headed out to explore Karakura as planned, ending up in the park. The entire time, the events of last night's "dream" replayed over and over in his head.

 _'I'm positive that the blurry blob was never there before. So, why does he seem to have always been there? How do I even know that it's a guy?'_ Question after question bombarded Ichiru. His thoughts were interrupted when the familiar roar of a hollow echoed nearby. Soon, a dead child ran through the clearing across from where he sat, soon followed by a one-story house sized hollow that resembled a grotesque hippo/roach hybrid. Tensing, Ichiru watched the chase unfold as he reached his senses out, a self-taught skill he was a bit proud of, and searched for the local Shinigami. Unfortunately, the Shinigami was on the other side of town and was dealing with other hollows from the looks of things. Turning back to the chase, Ichiru noticed that the spirit was running closer with the hollow quickly catching up.

Immediately, Ichiru jumped up and scooped the startled child into his arms. Speeding away, the teen wove his way through the clustered trees nearby with practiced ease. Having experience from similar hollow encounters when he was younger, Ichiru hid the ghost by a large tree behind some bushes, saying "stay here until it's safe" and bolted away, drawing the hollow's attention towards him by throwing a rock at the beast's face.

 ** _'Dodge right.'_ ** The teen dodged, narrowly avoiding getting hit by the hollow that had suddenly lunged forward in an attempt to catch the running human. Like every other hollow encounter, a voice echoed in the back of his head, giving bits of advice and sharp warnings. Sadly, there were times when the voice would attempt to warn the teen, but all he would hear was an intelligible whisper. Just like now.

"Fucking Shit!" Ichiru swore as the hollow lunged again and managed to scratch his now bleeding left arm. Clutching the wound, the orangette sped out of the park, keeping to the abandoned streets, and straight into the Karakura river. Diving into the cool water in the summer sun, the teen watched the approaching hollow from beneath the surface. The hippo/roach thing stopped by the water's edge and soon left in frustration. Whether the hollow couldn't go in the water or was too dumb to see him, Ichiru didn't know and didn't care as he swam to the opposite bank and took a quick breather on the shore. With his arm still throbbing, he reached out with his senses again and found that the shinigami was in the park. Confident that the ghost child will be taken care of, he steadily made his way home.

Safe within his new home, Ichiru carefully treated and wrapped the wound, thankful that he didn't need stitches.

 ** _'Slow idiot.'_ ** Startled, the teen looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. An equally surprised orangette stared back through long bangs that fell to the bridge of his nose, the bandages peeking out of the sleeve of the fresh white T-shirt. Ichiru puzzled over what about the voice in his head that startled him. He'd never minded the echo's presence before. Then it hit him

'He's never insulted me before, why now?' the teen pondered. He headed to the kitchen, only to remember that the fridge was empty.

* * *

Walking home with some chinese take-out (do they have those in Japan?), Ichiru continued to replay that day's events He even compared the encounter to past experiences with hollows.

 _'Wait. There's been plenty of times when the voice seemed to say something, but I couldn't understand what was said.'_ realized the teen. _'Damn, things are getting weird, and it's only my first day in Karakura!'_

 ** _'Better than dead ya fucking dumbass.'_** Ichiru came to an abrupt halt in the empty street, shocked by the reply. Not to mention the fact that it was a full sentence this time.

 _'You there?'_ the orangette mentally asked curiously. The only response was a muffled murmur. The teen decided that the murmur was a good enough reply that he'll ever get and continued to walk.

 _'You've probably been bad-mouthing me my whole life. I can see that happening.'_ Ichiru chuckled, recalling the occasions when the mental murmur came after making a dumb mistake. The orangette was ragged from his thoughts when a hollow roar blasted from behind him. Before he could think, a heavy force barreled into his back, launching him forward. Ichiru groaned in pain from his spot on the ground, his back protesting as he laid on it. Turning his head to the approaching hollow, he cursed as it was the same roach/hippo hybrid from before. He panicked as the hollow continued to approach, while he struggled to even move his arms.

 **"Stand up."** Ichiru blinked in surprise as he found himself standing in the sideways world. He blinked again as worry began to creep over, as thoughts of the hollow made themselves known. However, those thoughts came to a halt when he realized that the white blur was standing in front of him again, except that it was NOT a fuzzy blob like last time. It was a person. Smirking at Ichiru was a stark white replica of himself, but with shorter, spikier hair; gold eyes on obsidian sclera; snow white skin and hair; black nails; and a white shikasho over white pants held up by a black sash. The psychotic grin on the replica's face grew as he registered Ichiru's shock and awe.

 **"Nice to be seen again, eh King?"**

* * *

 **YAY! He enters the scene! Quick question, are these chapters too short? Just curious, I'm not doing a poll or anything. Also, I'm definitely going to draw a picture for the next chapter. And no, I don't draw shitty so look forward to it.**


	3. Meeting the Echo

**Hi-yo!** **E** **n** **j** **o** **y this beautiful update** **!** **Also,** **link** **to a** **picture** **at the end!** _**(I'm talking to you Mirai-Chan)**_ **It'll help those who might still be confused on what Ichiru looks like.**

* * *

"Normal Talking"

' _Mental Talking/Thinking'_

" **Shiro Talking Normal"**

' _ **Shiro Talking Mentally'**_

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Chapter 3

"Again? But-" Ichiru began, but was interrupted by the pale duplicate who shook his head.

 **"That's for another time. Right now, yer here so that ya can calm yer ass down."** Spoke the albino. The teen was baffled at the notion and panic began to rear its head again as he remembered the approaching hollow. The albino cocked an eyebrow at Ichiru' growing fear, his smirk never faltering.

 **"If yer worried about that hollow, yer fine. That Shinigami fellow's close enough ta take care of it. As I said before, yer here to calm down, else yer soul woulda gotten unstable trying to draw out power it can't handle."** Ichiru breathed a sigh of relief by the news and became curious at the mention of power. However, he remained quiet as the mysterious figure continued.

 **"As for me, I've always been here, kinda like yer conscious. This world is a representation of yer soul, a mental plane in yer head that I like to call home."** The teen absorbed this information, mildly wondering if he should get a therapist. Suddenly, Ichiru's eyes widened as the new information began to click together, and he became aware of how familiar the duplicate's voice was.

"Wait! So all of those bits of advice and warnings was you?!" The orangette stepped forward, overjoyed at the fact that he could finally meet the owner of the voice that has helped him throughout his whole life, more times than he could count. He paused, however, when something began to nag at the back of his mind.

"Wasn't…" Ichiru hesitated, unsure if what he'd say next would make any sense. Seeing the hesitation, the duplicate answered anyways.

 **"If yer wondering if there was another, the answer's yes, but that was a long time ago. I'd prefer if ya don't ask."** The albino stated, his gold on ebony eyes softened despite the unwavering grin. Ichiru wasn't sure what to think about the response, but heeded his friend's wish regardless. Although he was positive that the missing link was an older man with a long, black cloak and a pair of wrap around glasses. His attention was brought back when the albino huffed.

 **"Che. looks like the hollow's dead. Ya need to go back before someone decides to call an ambulance on yer passed out ass."** The teen blinked. Then blinked again. He kept blinking until he could fully process what was going on. One second, he was standing in his inner world speaking to his friend. The next second, he was lying on his back in the middle of an empty street with a Shinigami jumping away in in victory over the defeated hollow. Slowly standing up, Ichiru noted the lack of pain in his now healed back. He picked up his dropped Chinese take-out (Thankfully it was still in one piece) and began to walk. Continuing on his way home, he began to wonder if he'll be able to talk to the albino again..

 _ **'Testing, testing, one, two, three.'**_ Never mind.

 _'How come you've never spoken to me like this before?'_ Ichiru asked mentally as he walked.

 _ **'I tried, ya just couldn't hear me.'**_

 _'That doesn't answer my question.'_

 _ **'Our connection was bad, so that limited what ya could hear from me.'**_

 _'And now?'_

 _ **'Calming down yer sorry ass gave me a way to re-establish the link.'**_

 _'So it was like we didn't have Wi-fi?'_

 _ **'Uh...sure?'**_

 _'Do you even know what Wi-fi is?'_

 _ **'Yea, why?'**_

 _'It didn't look like there were any electronics in your world.'_

 ** _'It's YER world. And no, there are electronics in here if ya know where to look. It's not like ya explored anyways. All ya ever did when you were in here was lay on yer ass and watch the clouds.'_**

 _'So you have Wi-fi?'_

 ** _'Yup.'_**

 _'How does that even work? You're in a mental world!'_

 ** _'...Um… That's… Uh, that's a pretty good question. I'm honestly not sure…'_**

 _'And you've been living there how long?'_

 _ **'Yer whole life.'**_

 _'Yet you've never once got curious about these kinds of things?'_

 ** _'Pretty much.'_**

*Smack*

 _ **'DID YOU JUST FACEPALM ME?!"**_

 _'No, I just punched myself for the heck of it.'_

 ** _'Ouch. Yer sarcasm wounds my heart.'_**

 _'Good you fucking idiot.'_

 ** _'My, my, ya can actually swear. And here I thought ya was a damn prude.'_**

 _'You live in my head and you just noticed that I swear? And here I thought you were smart.'_

 ** _'Touché. Also, I ain't an idiot.'_**

 _'You sure act like one.'_

 ** _'Shaddup.'_**

 _'And your immature.'_

 _ **'...'**_

 _'Are you… pouting?'_

 _ **'No.'**_

 _'Uh-huh.'_

 ** _'I'm not! I swear!'_**

 _'Suure.'_

 ** _'Damn ya fucking bastard king.'_**

 _'Yup. You're pouting.'_

 ** _'Shaddap asswipe.'_**

 _'And you can go fuck yourself.'_

 ** _'Yanno, we can count as the same person. So, would that be an invitation?'_**

 _'Fuck off pervert!'_

 ** _'If I'm a perv, what does that make ya?'_**

 _'Fuck you.'_

 ** _'Another invite? Ya must be desperate.'_**

 _'SHUT UP YOU- Oh…'_

 ** _'What?'_**

 _'Um… wow this is gonna sound awkward…'_

 ** _'Well, out with ya.'_**

 _'Uh… what's your name?'_

* * *

 _'Hey, you still there?'_ Ichiru paused after stepping inside his apartment when his pale replica remained silent. Reaching through his mind while he ate his Chinese take-out, he knew that the albino was there. However, it felt as if the duplicate had retreated towards the depths of his mind, just beyond his reach. The teen was growing anxious, confused as to why the albino had gone silent. Even though this was the first time that they've had a conversation, the silence was unnerving.

Throwing away his empty take-out boxes, Ichiru padded into his bathroom. After removing his dirtied T-shirt, revealing a slender yet muscular body (Insert wolf whistle.), he carefully peeled off the bandages that covered his upper left arm, courtesy of the hollow from earlier. He gaped at the mirror and turned his head to stare at his bare arm. The cut, that would have taken days to even weeks to completely heal, was gone without a trace. He knew that Shinigami could use some sort of healing spell. Didn't that one Shinigami from years back call it Kido? Either way, he was pretty sure that Shinigami weren't nice enough to heal people that didn't have life threatening wounds caused by hollows. Positive that he couldn't have gotten super healing abilities, the orangette racked his brain for anyone that could have done it.

 _'Did you do it?'_ Ichiru asked the albino, remembering him mention something about their soul having power. Silence continued to be the only reply, feeding the flames to his frustration. It wasn't fair that his only friend, and possibly best friend was suddenly gone the very day that they managed to finally talk to each other properly.

 _ **'Glad to know I mean that much to ya.'** _ The teen was jolted from his thoughts, dropping the toothbrush he was using into the bathroom sink. _'Where were you?!'_ Ichiru asked, frantically picking up and cleaning his toothbrush. Relief sweeping through his mind.

 ** _'Sorry. Just get to bed and I'll try to answer as many questions as I can.'_** Replied the pale duplicate from within the sideways world of skyscrapers. After a quick shower, Ichiru hopped into bed in blue T-shirt and a pair of navy pajama pants over red boxers. No sooner than he closed his eyes, he immediately felt a breeze caress his hair. Peering through his long bangs, the teen spotted the albino standing a few feet in front of him. The pale duplicate looked tense, despite the ever present psycho grin.

"Why did you suddenly go silent?" Ichiru asked, torn between relief, curiosity, and a swirl of other emotions towards the albino. Said albino hesitated, the smirk momentarily wavering before he replied. **"Sorry about that, King. I was expecting yer question earlier, but it still caught me off guard. So, our connection had faltered a bit."**

"So, will you tell me your name?" The albino paused. **" I am ********."**

"Huh?" Ichiru blinked at this in confusion. Worry clawed at the teen as gold on obsidian eyes seem to glaze over in sorrow, the smirk still plastered on the stark white face.

 **"Just.. call me Shiro."**

"Why can't I hear your name?"

 **"It seems yer not ready. So I'm not needed…"** Hearing this, Ichiru scowled deeply as he stepped forward and grabbed the shoulder of a surprised Shiro.

"Don't say you aren't needed!" Shouted the teen in fury. "And if I'm not ready to hear it now, then I'll wait until I am!" Pulling a baffled Shiro into a hug, Ichiru continued. "You're my only friend. We may have only officially met today, but you've been there for me my whole life. I was always avoided as much as possible growing up, but I've never been bothered by it because I knew that there was someone at my side. That someone was you."

Stepping back, the teen locked eyes with his bewildered friend. "You're my friend, so don't say you aren't needed." the two stared at each other. The silence stretching between them. A breeze fluttered by and Shiro began to smile. The grin grew, threatening to split his face. Finally, the silence was broken.

 **"Well, when ya put it that way, I suppose I must abide by yer wishes. Anything fer yer majesty."** releasing the breath he was holding, the orangette smiled at Shiro's response, but something about what he said was still confusing.

"Why do you keep calling me King, and now Majesty?" Shiro laughed at this, the echo in his double toned voice adding to the insanity heard.

 **"Ha ha! Eh, sorry Kingy, ya reminded me of something. Well, to answer yer question, it's cuz yer the owner of yer body. We may share our soul, but I primarily reside in here while yer the dominant out there."**

"I guess that makes sense." responded Ichiru as he absorbed the information, stuffing his fists into the pockets of his pajama pant. "Is there anyway for you to leave this world and into the outside?"

 **"That don't involve stealing yer place as king? Yea, but ya can't do that before learning my real name."**

"How can I learn your name?" Ichiru immediately regretted asking as mischief shined in Shiro's golden pools, accompanied by his insane grin.

 **"Training. In fact, we can start now with ya learning some basic info. Now we've got the three main worlds that we actually care about: World of the Living; Hueco Mundo; and the Soul Society…"**

* * *

 **Link to Picture of Ichiru and Shiro, just copy and paste it into a web search and delete the spaces** **(This answer your question Mirai-Chan?)**

fav .me /da8vq3d

 **When I was typing this, I realized that I may have put Shiro in the friendzone with Ichiru's little speech. Oops?**

* * *

 **Fun Fact:** **The Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, Etc. are based off of the Buddhist idea of what the afterlife is like. There's a video on Youtube by Tekking101 that explains it better so you can go search for that if you want. So I guess if you want to go to Soul Society, you convert to Buddhism? I'm not sure, just thought I'd throw that out there.**


	4. Oh look! an OC!

**Oh man. You're awfully persistent if you're still reading my story. Eh, I shouldn't complain. Thanks for bothering to read this Author's Note. I like to read the Author's Notes, ( just the notes, not the Disclaimers) cuz they can be funny at times. So, imaginary cookies to those willing to read my before and after story rambles. Enjoy the story.**

* * *

Chapter 4

"SHIT!" Ichiru bolted from the lamppost he was leaning against in the Karakura Park. It'd been three days since his training with Shiro had started. Apparently, making the connection between Ichiru and Shiro had caused their reiryoku to increase a considerable amount. Before, the output wasn't noticeable and just enough to allow Ichiru to see and interact with spirits. Now, with a seated officer's level of reiryoku, he was hollow bait with a two mile radius. So, Shiro was teaching him how to hide his presence, but it was taking awhile.

Hence, why the teen was now weaving through empty backstreets to get away from the hollow on his tail. Thankfully, Ichiru was used to running from hollows. Primarily due to his habit of trying to save spirits from hollows back in his old town. The local Shinigami of that town was always really annoyed when Ichiru led the hollows straight to her. They never exchanged words. Just the Shinigami rolling her eyes over saving the same human constantly, occasionally grumbling about various topics to herself.

 _ **'Boo! Ya only managed to hide for only half an hour! Ya have to be able to do this 24/7 without thinking! '**_

 _'Give me some credit! I could only hide for only a minute yesterday!'_ Ichiru mentally yelled in defense.

 ** _'So? It don't change the fact that ya gotta do this in yer sleep.'_ ** Shiro grumbled from within the teens mind. Two days ago, the teen had to wake up at one in the morning due to the fact that there was a hollow headed in his direction. So, he had to get up and run around, leading the hollow away until it got interested in eating another weaker hollow, while Shiro was ranting the entire time. Now, the orangette ran towards the river. With the new hollow on his heels, he made a sharp turn to the left, leaving the hollow to trip and fall down the steps leading to the riverbank and into the water. Using this opportunity, Ichiru immediately sped away, not stopping until he reached the park.

Checking his watch, he saw that it was almost two in the afternoon. Panting, the teen plopped down on a park bench, removed his red jacket, revealing a white T-shirt, and dropped the red bundle onto the seat beside him. The summer sun beat down as he tried to catch his breath. Looking up, he watched as petals fell from a flowering tree a little ways in front of him. He hated flowering trees, cherry blossoms to be precise, especially when the petals fell.

Don't get him wrong, he liked how beautiful they were. However, every time he saw the flying petals, he got a nagging at the back of his head. It was as if they were suppose to a connection to something, but Ichiru could never figure out what. In the end, he just felt empty watching the petals. The same went for falling snow and hanging icicles.

When he was little, he could never look at a cute black cat the same way that others did. For some reason that he couldn't place, he would always feel embarrassed when he spotted one. He also wasn't one for eating candy, nor did he enjoy playing with stuffed toys as a child as much as he could have. All because of the irritating emptiness. Peeling his eyes away from the flowering trees, Ichiru leaned his head back. Sweat plastered his bangs to his face. An orange curtain that obscured his eyes as his heavy breathing finally evened out.

Ichiru was only sitting on the bench for a few minutes, slowly drifting off, when a hollow roar echoed nearby.

"Fucking hell! This town sure has an awful lot of hollows." Ichiru scowled at the glaring sun, running a hand through his hair in exasperation.

"Oh it's always like this. Are you new around here mister?" Startled, the teen looked in front of him to see a young boy standing before his bench. The kid looked about ten, maybe eleven. He was rather scrawny underneath a bright yellow hoodie, khaki shorts, and bright red sneakers. The hood was down to reveal black hair that looked navy in the sunlight. Long side bangs, starting in a widow's peak, framed a smiling pale face with silver eyes. Ichiru could have sworn he'd seen the kid somewhere before, except slightly different as if something was missing from the face. The silver eyes however, were from somewhere else, someone else.

Ichiru immediately shook the thoughts away when he realized that the kid was still waiting for an answer. "Um, yeah. I moved into town about five days ago." He responded, not quite sure when the kid appeared. Said kid then proceeded to plop down on the bench next to the orange haired teen. Although he was nice enough to move Ichiru's jacket first.

"You sure have a lot of reiatsu, huh mister? Why'd you keep going up to hollows with your presence hidden then release it and start running away? Do you have any powers? Did you move here alone? Do you knowanyoneelsewithspirtualpressure? Why'dyoumovehere?What'syour-"

"Slow down! I can't answer all of your questions at once!" Ichiru exclaimed. Now, he felt bad for shouting at the now teary eyed child. "Sorry, just try to keep the questions to a minimum, ok?" the teen asked, trying to reassure the kid. The boy beamed at this.

"OK! So why do you keep sneaking up on hollows only to run away?" Sighing, Ichiru leaned back again, contemplating on how to answer.

 ** _'Well, the kid clearly knows about Hollows and shit. Might as well tell him the truth. Besides, I think he might have an ability. Just don't mention me if ya can help it. It'll be awkward.'_ ** Suggested Shiro, who'd been quietly sitting in the inner world the entire time.

 _'Alright. I guess it's worth a shot.'_ Sighing again, the teen turned towards the eagerly waiting kid.

"I'm terrible at masking my reiryoku, so I've been trying to train myself to do it without thinking since a hollow tried to attack me while I was asleep a couple days ago. I've never had this problem in my old town, so that's why I'm practicing now." The boy giggled at the response and smiled widely.

"It's ok mister! I'm terrible at sensing reiryoku, but my parents told me that practice makes perfect!" Ichiru blinked at this and a single question flashed red in his mind. "Ah, speaking of which, where are your parents?" The orangette asked, noting that they were the only ones in the immediate vicinity.

"Oh, they're off to visit some friends and work stuff for the rest of this week and next! I really really wanted to go but I got in trouble for accidentally setting the refrigerator on fire so I was left at home to work on sensing restue thats how I found you I wassosurprisedathowmuchyouhaditsmuchmorethantheShinigamipostedinthistownbutnotasmuchasmydadIdon'thavemuchmyselfbutsomeday…" The raven haired kid continued to ramble on and on. Meanwhile, Ichiru had stopped listening and was severely confused and worried. How the hell does this kid accidentally set a fucking fridge on fire?! Also, why did his parents just leave him all alone or did they have someone else. If they had someone to watch the kid, then where the hell was the damn caretaker?! With the questions firing around in his head, Ichiru went ahead and asked.

"So who's taking care of you while your parents are out?"

"Oh Grandpa Ryu's in charge, but he's busy at the hospital so he said I could walk around and practice sensing reiryoku!" The kid then proceeded to continue rambling. Something about a hollow at a pool party? All of Ichiru's thoughts and the kid's rambling comes to a halt when a hollow roar comes from directly behind them.

 _'Dammit! Why didn't you say anything?!'_ The orangette berated Shiro over the mental link as he jumped up, grabbing his jacket and turning to face the hollow.

 ** _'Hey! The kid was telling a pretty interesting story! Why didn't YOU say anything?'_ ** Shiro retorted. Growling, Ichiru turned to grab the raven hair to flee. However, he'd beaten the teen to the chase and was already sprinting… towards the hollow?! As the scrawny figure approached the roaring beast, he took out a bright red starfish pendant from his pocket. Almost immediately, the pendant morphed into a scarlet archer's bow, flames flickering off of the frame, and an arrow entirely made up fire already drawn and aimed at the hollow.

The kid jumped around the hollow, faster than a normal human could see, a ring of green light appearing and fading away every time his foot touched the ground before leaping away again. He fired several arrows at the hollow, quite a few of them missed and one arrow hit a lamppost, setting it ablaze.

 _ **'So** that's **how** he **set** a **fridge** on **fire…'**_ Both Shiro and Ichiru simultaneously deadpanned over their mental link. The teen watched in amazement when the hollow exploded in a flash of light after the sixth arrow finally made its mark. Landing near the stunned teen, the raven haired kid morphed his bow back into a starfish pendant before placing it back into his pocket.

"You ok mister?" Innocent silver eyes looked up curiously at the orange haired teen. " Yeah. Thanks!" The orangette paused, thinking before he smiled.

"You said that you needed help sensing reiatsu right?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Well, since I need help hiding my presence, why don't we work together? We could train by you trying to find me while I try to hide." The kid jumped with excitement at the proposal, nodding his head furiously in agreement. Ichiru laughed at bouncing ball of energy. The summer sun continued to beat down.

 _ **'King, I think the buildings are melting in here.'** _ Shiro whined mentally.

 _'No they aren't.'_

 ** _'Che. Fine, but it's hot enough for me to feel it in here...'_ ** Agreeing wholeheartedly, Ichiru thought of how to cool down, then turned to the still bouncing archer. He was currently rambling about hollows on the moon.

"Hey! Do you want to get some ice cream? My treat, plus it's awfully hot out here." asked the teen, severely wondering if he'd get in trouble for stranger danger, or worse, accused of being a pedofile. He sure hoped not. The archer on the other hand simply jumped for joy and began to ramble about all of his favorite flavors. So the two began walking out of the park and to the nearest ice cream parlor. Suddenly, Ichiru realized that he was forgetting a severely important piece of information and turned towards the twelve year-old (he learned that through the rambling).

"I'm Ichiru by the way. Kurokatu Ichiru. What's your name?" Smiling at the orangette, the preteen replied.

"I'm Nobu! Ishida Nobu, and I'm a Fulbringer!"

* * *

 **Wow this took awhile for me to type. So anyways, yeah I made an OC. Who his parents are should be kinda obvious, or at least the dad is. For the mom, I suggest either rereading the prologue or waiting for the next chapter.**

 **Here's a link to a picture of Nobu I drew, just copy it into a web search and delete the spaces like the last drawing :**

Fav. me /da95t2r


	5. Deadly Echo

**Sweet, I got an OC into the story. I hope he's of adequate quality. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!... What? I mean it, go read the chapter… Why're you still reading this Author's note?... Alright alright, here's a lollipop for reading my ramblings. Sheesh.**

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Chapter 5

"Ichi-nii! I found you!" Nobu shouted to the orangette, who was lazily sitting on a tree branch hidden by leaves. Chuckling lightly, Ichiru rolled off of the branch and easily landed on his feet next to the bouncing twelve-year old Fullbringer. The late afternoon sun was shining brightly in the cloudless sky.

"Good job! You found me in under an hour. You're making progress." The teen complimented, ruffling Nobu's hair.

 _ **'Not as much as you. Besides, yer going easy on the kid.'**_ What Shiro said was true. Ichiru and Nobu have been training (*cough* playing hide-n-seek *cough cough*) for the past six days and Ichiru could finally mask his reiatsu in his sleep. Nobu, on the other hand, was still working on sensing spiritual pressure. So, the teen would flare his reiatsu to try and give the archer some help. Mainly because the kid could only find the general direction that reiatsu came from.

"Ichi-nii, can you help me with something? Pretty please?" Nobu stared up at the teen with his best puppy eyes. Suspicious, the orangette hesitated, but nodded and began to follow the bouncing fullbringer.

 ** _'Uh, King? Ya sure that's smart? Ya know what happened last time.'_** Both Ichiru and Shiro shuddered at the memory of two days ago. Nobu had asked him for help on that day as well, and he'd agreed without much thought. Apparently, the kid had needed help reaching a plate of leftover curry in the fridge, which was weird considering the fact that Nobu could "fly" with his Bringer Light (Fullbrigers' version of shunpo). Nobu's house was really nice with its polished floor and fancy looking interior and multiple rooms within two stories. However, opening the fridge was a nightmare for Ichiru.

Turns out, the fridge was filled with containers with probably the most grotesque food combinations he'd ever seen. Ichiru was pretty sure that some of them were moving inside their plastic prisons. He had finally found the normal (thank god) curry after what felt like hours and after handing the plate to Nobu, asked about the monstrosities he'd witnessed. According to the preteen, those were his mother's creations that she loved to eat. He and his father usually kept the safe food in a hidden fridge and secret compartments, but his mom had gotten to the plate of curry and had put it into the original fridge. Apparently, his aunt, who had made the curry, was a really good cook and he just had to get the curry out somehow before it went bad.

Ichiru brought his mind back to the present, desperately shaking away the images of the diabolical horrors he'd seen that day. Still following Nobu, he wondered what excuse he could come up with if it turned out to be another abomination that he would have to face.

 _'Shiro, you ok? You're awfully tense.'_ The orangette could feel nervousness radiating from the depths of his mind, but it drew back when he addressed the albino. He knew that they weren't headed back to Nobu's house since that was in another direction, so that couldn't be what was bothering his pale friend.

 ** _'Nah, I'm good King.'_**

 _'Then why do you seem nervous?'_

 ** _'I'm not. Stop worrying King, yer loyal horse is raring to go!'_ ** The teen mentally sighed, knowing that Shiro's stubbornness would get them nowhere. For the past week or so, the two of them have been spending nights together in the inner world, so he's gotten well acquainted with Shiro's personality. Usually, the two would sparr in hand-to-hand combat, with Shiro teaching Ichiru all he needed to know about kicking someone's ass, or the two would just talk about random topics and Shiro would teach the orangette the basics about the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo and their residence in general. Sometimes, the two even played video games and watched videos inside a skyscraper that was filled with various forms of entertainment (They still didn't know where the Wi-fi came from).

"We're here!" Nobu proclaimed, pulling Ichiru from his thoughts. Before them stood an old styled shack. The small hut sat in between two larger, more modern buildings, with a massive yard in front that was devoid of any sort of plants. The place would have looked cozy, except for the fact that the front sliding doors were caved in, with what seemed to be large chunks of concrete tossed inside, and rubble was spilling out. Apparently it was a candy store because candy was scattered everywhere, but the remains of the store sign was too torn up to make out what it says as it dangled precariously from the roof. Ichiru scowled as the feeling of nagging emptiness clawed at his head as he took in the sight.

"Please, please, pleeease help me! The hollow I was fighting earlier was tearing up concrete and throwing them at me and some of it crashed into the shop and it belongs to my uncle whose a Shinigami he's really smart and I really like him so I want to clean it up but I can't lift the rocks and I'm terrible at manipulating the souls of objects so I need help before they get back in three days andmygrandpaistoobusytohelpplushewouldn'thelpanywayscuzhedoesn'tliketheshopand-"

"Slow down! Alright I'll help, just stop talking. Please." Ichiru said, sweat dropping. Nobu pouted, but nodded anyways. The teen scowled at the shop. Thankfully, the damage was concentrated towards the front so there shouldn't be any broken water pipes or electrical outlets. However, it would still take awhile to completely clean it up. Plus, it would take even longer to find the replacements and fix the shop.

Ichiru explained this to Nobu who was crestfallen but understood. The teen scowled once more at the Shop before walking forward. He began to gingerly pick up the broken sliding doors while the young Fullbringer was quickly picking up the scattered bits of candy outside. The orangette placed the sliding doors outside and continued to clear away the broken furniture, scraps of wood, and loose bits of concrete. For an hour or so, the teen piled the rubble outside, saving the giant concrete chunks for later.

The sun was setting when Ichiru paused to wipe his forehead with the sleeve of his red jacket. He watched for a few moments as Nobu was scurrying around outside, separating the rubble pile according to size and material. Looking around the shop, the teen felt a vague sense of Deja Vu despite the Massive chunks of concrete sitting in the middle of the floor. Shaking away the feeling, the orangette checked his watch to find that it was getting fairly late. Deciding to save the rest for tomorrow, the teen headed towards the entry way.

Suddenly, he stopped when he spotted a white sign that he'd missed tossed into a corner. Curious, Ichiru made his way over to the sign and picked it up. It was roughly 2ft by 1ft big. Turning it over, it was a notice that stated that the Urahara Shoten would be closed temporarily for two weeks.

 _'Urahara Shoten.'_ He read again.

Baboom*

 _'Where have I heard of that before?'_

Baboom

 _'Ow… My head…'_

 **Baboom**

 _'Wha-'_

 **BABOOM**

Dropping the sign to clutch his head, Ichiru released a scream of pain as he collapsed to the dusty ground. With his head threatened to explode, he tried to keep himself awake as black creeped into his vision, failing miserably. He could hear Nobu in the background worriedly asking if he was alright, but that was fading away in the roar of pain. As black completely engulfed his vision, he could hear another voice calling him. It was getting louder as it echoes in panic.

 **"KING!"**

* * *

 **"King. Open your eyes."** Groaning in pain, Ichiru struggled to rouse himself. His head throbbed painfully as if it were full of needles, but not as agonizing like it was before. The teen shifted, preferring to keep his head closer to the comforting warmth below it… wait, what? Releasing another groan, the orangette's eyes finally fluttered open to stare up at the upside down face of Shiro, whose worried frown immediately returned to his insane smirk. The teen noted that his head was cradled in the albino's lap, but was too in pain to care.

Ichiru hummed in content as the pale replica gently stroked his hair, lessening the headache further. Shiro shifted and raised up the immobile teen so that the orangette was sitting up somewhat and leaning against his chest. The albino then wrapped his arms around Ichiru's abdomen to keep him secured. Ichiru watched the clouds tiredly as silence hung in the air of the inner world.

"This is kinda awkward." The teen stated plainly, still staring at the sideways drifting clouds.

 **"Would you rather lay on the hard building?"** replied the albino. **"And before ya get worried bout the kid, yer fine. I don't do it often, but I can speed up the passage of time in here, so ya won't miss a thing out there."**

"Oh, thanks." The two sat in silence as Ichiru slowly regained feeling in his numb body. After a while, the teen scooted out of Shiro's lap and sat cross legged, facing the albino. Shiro's face was hidden as he stared down at the ground, waiting for Ichiru to speak.

"So, what happened to me?" the teen asked calmly, noting the nervousness. Sighing at the expected question, Shiro looked up, smirk gone, and locked eyes with the orange haired teen.

 **"Yer soul was trying to force ya to remember yer past life."** Ichiru tensed.

"Why aren't I remembering anything if it was forced?"

 **"I'm keeping them from ya."** Hearing this, Ichiru stood and glared. Shiro flinched as chocolate eyes portrayed hurt and anger.

"Why are you keeping me from what my soul clearly wants?" The teen's voice was deadly calm.

 **"I didn't want ya to remember."**

"WHAT THE HELL SHIRO?! You keep leaving me in the damn dark! If I've been given a second chance at life, then why the hell don't I get to remember the past and keep from making the same fucking mistakes?! Or was I some godforsaken bastard with no friends and family and cursed to a life of emptiness?!" Quickly shaking his head, the albino stood up to face his king.

 **"It's not like that! Ya were a great guy that people loved, but that was yer past life. You've got this life now so ya don't need to remember!"**

"No NEED?!" Ichiru was shouting in rage now. "Have you forgotten what my life's been like for the past YEARS?! Completely empty! I've had to avoid so many things that I could've enjoyed if it weren't for the DAMN HOLLOWNESS that I've been feeling! And now I find out that I'm missing a GIANT ASS chunk of my memory, yet YOU say I don't need them! If I had 'em then I wouldn't be feeling so GODDAMN empty all the time!" The teen raged as the skyscrapers trembled ever so slightly.

Noticing the tremors, Shiro grew increasingly worried. His smirk had long since been gone, replaced with a grim line.

 **"Ya really think I wanted ya to be like that?! I would've given ya yer memories back, but yer not ready yet! Yer soul can't handle it!"**

"FIRST I'm not ready to learn your name and NOW I'm not ready for my own memories?! WHEN will I be ready?! When I die?!"

 **"I'm just trying to protect ya King!"**

"I DON'T NEED YOUR PROTECTION! WHY DON'T YOU JUST DISAPPEAR?!" Shiro went rigid in shock and fear at Ichiru's words. No sooner were they spoken, the albino began to dissipate before the orangette's eyes, starting at the feet.

 **"NO! Please King!"** stark white legs disappeared, scattering like torn paper in the wind, **"I swear I only wanted to protect ya!"** The now crying** carbon copy reached out a hand in desperation towards the horrified teen. His other hand was already fluttering away alongside his chest.

 **"Please! Don't send me back there!"** His stretched out arm and head were next.

 **"Ichigo!"** And then he was gone. The lingering name echoing in the empty space as Ichiru stared at the spot where his best friend, possibly more, once stood.

 _'What have I done?'_ The single thought roared through his mind as the skyscrapers' trembling became very noticeable. Cracks were appearing everywhere as the teen stood frozen in place, the howling wind clawing at his red jacket and prickling through his jeans. Suddenly, the tops of the buildings began to break apart into white boxes, the gravity flipping to replicate reality. Ichiru felt numb with sorrow as he fell backwards, down the side of the building with gravity and the white boxes.

He shouldn't have said it. That was obvious. Yet when he saw Shiro's eyes filled with fear, he was so shocked that no words could form to take back what he'd said. Where was the confident and cocky albino that he grown so close to in so little time? Sure, they only really talked about current events, random topics, and facts about the spirit world alongside fighting, but when you share a soul on top of spending so much time together, it's not hard to figure out a person's personality. And Ichiru knew that fear was not in Shiro's vocabulary.

Soon, he hit a seemingly endless void of dark water. Sinking beneath the dark waves, the teen felt a saddened familiarity with the scenario as he watched the water's surface get further and further away from him. He vaguely noted that he was still breathing in the water as regret clawed at his chest. Something tickled his cheeks and he realized that he was crying despite being underwater. Gazing around in a numb daze, he knew that he was searching for something. Someone.

"Shiro?!" Ichiru called out desperately, searching for familiar psychopath, but only the sight of numerous small white boxes no bigger than his head greeted him. Reaching out with his senses, he felt a tickle of familiarity coming from directly in front of him. Peering through his floating orange bangs, Ichiru spotted a white box that seemed to be calling out to him, pleadingly. Staring at the box, the teen felt as if it's stark white surface would burst into tears should he deny it. The teen waved his arms, swimming to get closer to the box, his own tears still streaming out of his eyes and floating away in the air like sea of dark depression.

 _What holds you back?***_ The faded echo of memories danced through his numb mind. Words. Not people, or even voices, just the words themselves spoke to the orange haired teen. _Call my name. Walk forward, don't hold back. Hesitate, you will age. Retreat, you will die. What's the difference between a king and his horse?_

"Instinct." Ichiru answered the small echo of a memory as he reached towards the box. He felt anticipation rise, unsure what to expect, but allowed his answer to guide his hand. The white cube opened up one of its sides, revealing the hilt of a sword jutting out from within the black void inside the container. _This is your zanpakuto. Pull me out. Call my name!_

"ZANGETSU!"

* * *

(*) **If you're curious as to what the whole "Baboom" thing was, that was my attempt at creating a heartbeat for added dramatic effect. Did it work?**

(**) **Concerning a crying Shiro: I don't consider this as OOC. If you may recall, at the end of Ichigo's flashback to his training in the Dainga, the Zangetsu fusion was crying after giving Ichigo the Mugetsu technique. Since both zanpakuto spirits are combined then both are doing the action. So Shiro has cried before. (Also, though I might be wrong, have you noticed that the Zangetsu fusion is the only person that Ichigo has given a** _**genuine**_ **hug to?)**

 **(***) I was going for the dialogue that the old man told Ichigo when he was getting the glorified butcher knife that we all know and love. Sorry if it turns out to be inaccurate. Although the last 'memory' is clearly Shiro Zangetsu and not Zangetsu Ossan (the Mini Yhuwach Zangetsu).**

* * *

 **YAY! Success! I actually had to combine two of my pre-written chapters for this. I know that people say that the length of the chapters are fine, but I know that people still want longer ones, so I'll be doing my best to write more into them.**


	6. Reassurance

**Oh look! What's this? A new chapter, duh… I mean come on, it's kinda obvious. Now run along now and enjoy the update while I go conquer the w- I mean type up the next chapter… totally, I mean it… What's with that look? I swear I'm typing up the next chapter as you read this… Fine, here's a HichiIchi lemon → → → → →** **（** HichiIchi Lemon **）**

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Chapter 6

"Ichi-nii! Ichi-nii!" Ichiru groaned as he sat up dizzily. He was sitting in the corner of the trashed candy store. Dust and debris covered his red jacket and jeans. Dust bunnies were clinging to his messy, shoulder-length hair. Looking up, the teen saw a worried Nobu standing a few feet away. If the puffy eyes were anything to go by, the young Fullbringer seemed to be on the verge of tears. Light from the setting sun illuminated the shop's inside to reveal that nothing has changed. Minus Nobu standing before the orangette of course.

"How long was I out?" Ichiru groaned, standing up to dust himself off.

"Um… about a minute! What happened? I heard you yell and then suddenly your reiatsu spiked sooooo much! I couldn't even move did you always have that much reiatsu I saw you collapsed and i was so scaredIwasn'tsuureifIshouldcallsomeoneorleavetogogetgrangacuzhesadoctorand…" The Fullbringer continued to ramble on as usual, causing Ichiru to chuckle lightly.

The teen surveyed the shop again. He could still feel the nagging emptiness that this place gave him, but it wasn't as painful as before. It was as if the answer to fill the hollowness was right there, right at his fingertips. So much closer than before that he could practically taste his anticipation. However, it was too soon tell if he could reach it yet, so he chose to ignore the emptiness for the time being. Looking once more at the setting sun, Ichiru turned back towards the archer.

"Well, it's getting late and I don't seem to be injured. So, why don't we leave this for tomorrow and call it a day?" He asked, interrupting Nobu, who was rambling about a hollow that had looked like a giant lollipop. The young archer nodded happily and walked outside of the shop before disappearing in a flash of Bringer Light. The bright pastel green light of soul manipulation fading in his wake. Ichiru readjusted his crimson jacket and began to make his way back to his apartment. The walk was quiet, even when the orangette passed through busy streets that were still filled with nonsensical chatter and the growling of passing cars.

Walking down a silent road, about three fourths of the way home, the teen looked up to see snow white flower petals falling from a flowering tree that was growing behind the fenced wall to a random house. The sight of the falling white petals caused Ichiru to pause. He watched as the whiteness flutter away into the wind, his gut twisting itself in regret and sorrow. Shaking his head quickly, the orangette continued on his way home. He walked, slowly growing into a run, through various roads, and up two flights of stairs until he finally stopped before his apartment door, breathing heavily as a cool breeze ruffled his hair and the moon shining down mercilessly after the sun had finally finished setting.

Stepping into his dark apartment, Ichiru skipped dinner and went straight to the shower as he removed his clothes and threw them to the ground haphazardly. Stepping under the shower head, he angrily turned the spout on, hissing as scorching water poured down on him, but ignored it nonetheless as he began quickly scrubbing himself down. He knew what he had to do, and the quicker he could get to it the better. Shutting off the water, Ichiru quickly dried himself off as he trudged towards his bedroom. Dropping his towel, he threw on a pair of boxers, navy pajama pants, and a green T-shirt before laying down on his bed, skipping the blanket and ignoring any drafts.

Ichiru closed his eyes and opened them immediately to find himself standing on a sideways building within his inner world. He was overjoyed to find the skyscrapers whole and sideways again. However, a certain albino was apparently missing. The teen frowned and was about to search for the missing Shiro when he halted. There was, a rather comforting, weight on his back and hip. Also, he didn't remember wearing a shirt with long flowing sleeves nor anything tied around his wrists.

Turning his head in confusion, Ichiru was surprised to find the handle of a sword, wrapped in bandages, peeking out from behind his shoulder. Gripping the handle, he drew forth an obsidian sword that was almost as long as he was tall. Surprisingly, it felt much lighter than it probably should be and was perfectly balanced as he gripped it with only his right hand. The blade itself was polished with an ebony black and smooth with a hole, the shape of a smaller blade, for less air resistance. Looking down, the teen found a smaller black blade strapped to his left hip.

Looking around, the orangette turned to his reflection in the windows of the building next to him in order to survey his outfit. Rather than wearing whatever it was that he wore in the outside world like usual, the teen was wearing a black Shihakusho and black Hakama that was held up by a white Obi, just like Shiro but with reverse colors. Unlike Shiro however, Ichiru also wore on his left shoulder, a white piece of armor with red scales decorating three large sections on its surface. A smaller white shoulder pad, minus any red scales, rested on his right shoulder. Both pieces of armor had a strap that crossed in an 'X' formation over his Shihakusho while a white cloth with black markings at the edge was tied with his Obi and draped around his Hakama. Two strips of black cloth were also tied around each wrist.

After finally overcoming the surprise of his wardrobe change, Ichiru turned back to his task at hand, and reached out with his senses until he found the albino's reiatsu coming from one of the other skyscrapers above him. Ichiru scowled, running his hand through his shoulder-length hair as he contemplated on how to reach his friend. Normally, when he wanted to travel to another building, Shiro would just grab his shoulder and teleport them over. Although, it could have been Shunpo, he wasn't sure and had never bothered to ask. Scowling, the teen walked to the edge of the building he was on, facing the next closest skyscraper that was right in front of him, showcasing his reflection.

The gap between the two buildings was large and he wasn't sure if he could make the jump. Seeing no choice, Ichiru backed up several yards, both blades in hand as he hoped to be able to use them as leverage for climbing up the side. Scowling even deeper, he cursed his luck of being located so far away from his friend. He mildly wondered if the albino would even want to even see him ever again, but quickly shook the thought away before doubt could make him rethink his decision. Blades ready, Ichiru prepared himself and ran forward… and immediately regretted it.

Rather than running at a normal speed, Ichiru found himself rocketing forward and face-planting right into the nearby building. Groaning, he slowly peeled off of the window and dropped down to the building below. His swords landing at his sides as he growled at the skyscraper above him. Slowly sitting up, the teen rubbed his throbbing nose as he tried to wrap his mind around what had just occurred.

 _'That was definitely Shunpo.'_ He decided, slowly getting back up and returning his swords to their places on his back and hip.

 _'But something tells me that I'm not a Shinigami…'_ Ichiru scratched his head confused. Thanks to what little memories that he had, he knew that the swords he carried were definitely his own Zanpakuto, but he doesn't recall hearing anything about duel swords. Also, his uniform was, although similar, very different compared to the standard Shinigami uniforms that Shiro had told him about. The same goes for the captain class uniforms.

Finding himself at a dead end, Ichiru decided to resume his quest to reach Shiro. Figuring what the heck, the teen jumps, relying on instinct and manages to shunpo from building to building. Soon, he reaches the skyscraper that Shiro's reiatsu flowed from. Shiro was sitting on the edge of the structure, legs dangling over the side with his back facing the orangette. White replicas of Ichiru's swords were strapped to the albino's own back and hip. Although his outfit had remained the same with a white Shihakusho and Hakama with a black Obi, The only accessory was a grey loop of what appeared to be some sort of scales or ceramic that started at the right shoulder, went down the albinos back at a diagonal, wrapped around his left hip, and went over the chest to return to the right shoulder.

"Zangetsu." The pale spirit ignored Ichiru, responding only with silence. Rolling his eyes at the maniac's sudden emo attitude, the teen trudged over and crouched next to the, apparently, brooding albino.

"Oi. Anybody home? Are you even paying attention?" The orange haired teen poked Zangetsu's cheek in frustration. When silence continued to hang over, a tick mark popped up on Ichiru's head. Growling, the teen poked the albino's cheek repeatedly without receiving a response. Finally fed up with his friend's attitude; the teen jumped up; grabbed the sword from his back, and swung at the albino's head. Immediately, Shiro blocked the oncoming blade with his white shorts sword, now gripped in his left hand. Frowning gold on black met triumphant chocolate pools.

Pushing away the ebony sword, Shiro stood as he brandished his other, larger, white sword. Ichiru lunged forward, swinging his giant blade in a downward arc, short blade held readily in his left hand. Blocking the large blade with his own, Shiro attempted to slice open the teen's gut, but missed by a hair as the orangette leaped back several feet.

 **"Good to know that yer instincts are still sharp."** Zangetsu stated, a savage, bloodthirsty grin splitting his face.

"I learned from you didn't I? Besides, it's not like I remember how to actually use a sword besides swing and stab." Ichiru replied as he grinned in victory of finally getting the zanpakuto spirit's attention.

 **"Guess I'll just have to teach ya then."** The albino bolted forward in a burst of shunpo, disappearing before reappearing behind the teen, swords posed to carve an X on Ichiru's back. Running on autopilot, the orangette swung the larger sword behind himself, blocking the two ivory blades. Immediately, he spun around and kicked Shiro Zangetsu back. In silent agreement, both fighters leaped forward at the same time in a blur of black and white before their swords locked together in a battle for dominance. Breaking apart, both combatants faced each other, leaning forward and ready to pounce. With insane glee, Shiro laughed, echoing around the two as he leaped into the air, his massive ivory blade raised towards the heavens has he yelled with savage joy.

 **"Getsuga Tensho!"** A wave of white energy with a red tinge rushed forward and crashed into Ichiru, propelling him backwards into a skyscraper. Berating himself for not reacting fast enough, the teen pried himself from the crater that his mistake created in the side of a skyscraper. His uniform was singed and shredded just a little here and there. Minor burns and bruises littered his chest. Scowling, the teen landed before the grinning Zangetsu.

"Why'd you hold back? You and I both know that the Getsuga Tensho can be stronger than that sorry excuse, and you're not exactly the type to hold back." Ichiru's frown deepened at the last part. Tsking at the apparent end to their fight, Zangetsu sheathed his weapons.

 **"Ya just got yer powers back, but yer still unaccustomed to them right now. Not to mention, ya only have some of yer memories of yer ability. Key word there is some."**

"That doesn't answer my question."

 **"Yer not at full power to be able to handle the damage in an all out battle wit me. Trust me."** Ichiru scowled at the answer, but accepted it anyways. "So, what do I need to do to fix that Shiro?"

 **"Shiro?"** The albino cocked an eyebrow at the name. The teen simply shrugged nonchalantly. "Nickname. I'm used to calling you Shiro anyways."

Zangetsu hummed at the idea. **"Eh, why not? Anyways, to answer yer question: Ya gotta understand yourself. Can ya tell me what ya remembered when ya learned my true name?"**

The teen pause, trying to sort through the jumbled bits of information as he glared at the ground. He shook his head, causing his shoulder-length hair to tickle the base of his neck as the puzzle pieces somewhat fell into an organized fashion.

"You're Zangetsu, my Zanpakuto and other half of my soul. I'm a Shinigami and I can use Getsuga Tensho, Blut Vein, and Getsuga Juujishou. I can also use shunpo… what?!" The teen glared at his Zanpakuto Spirit who'd gone from snickering to his full on psychotic laughter. The albino continued to laugh for a good minute or so until he finally calmed down.

 **"Heh heh, sorry. The thing is…"** Gold locked onto deep chocolate. **"Yer not a Shinigami."**

"Not a Shinigami? Figures, something told that wasn't the answer but it was all I got." Ichiru grumbled at Shiro's claim. Shiro crossed his arms as he continued to smirk happily. **"That something would be yer instincts. Never forget yer instincts."**

The orangette grumbled as he searched his mind for any other possible answers. " What about Visored? Do I have a mask?" The teen questioned, remembering from when the albino gave him a briefing over the three worlds and their inhabitants. Hybrids included.

 **"This answer yer question?"** The spirit lifted a stark white hand, smirking in triumph as a white skull mask, with dark red stripes going over each eyehole, formed between his pale fingers.

 **"Or at least yer second question. Yer not a Visored either."**

"...What?"

 **"I said yer not a Visored."**

"Yet I have a hollow mask with a Zanpakuto."

 **"Yep."**

"Am I an Arrancar then?"

 **"Does it look like ya got a hole in yer chest?"**

"Oh yeah…" Silence settled over the sideways world. Shiro Zangetsu kept tossing the mask into the air and catching it as he watched Ichiru struggle to come up with an explanation for the facts that've been revealed.

"So… what am I?"

 **"Not telling ya."** The teen did a double-take, shock and frustration etched into his face. "What the fuckng hell? Dammit Shiro, what's the point of telling me what I'm not if you won't tell me what I am?" The spirit shrugged.

 **"Look, I'd tell ya, but being indirect and confusing while I give ya answers is part of the package of being a Zanpakuto spirit."** Ichiru stared at the albino, aghast.

"You weren't confusing when I asked you stuff last week." Shiro simply kept grinning like a Cheshire cat. **"Well I'm part hollow, so I can be an exception to the rule."**

"Yet you can't be an exception now?"

 **"Pretty much."** The orangette could feel a tick mark appearing as his Zanpakuto seemed determined to drive him up a wall. No pun intended. "...That makes as much sense as how you can get Wi-Fi in a mental world."

 **"But just like that Wi-Fi, if it works, I ain't complaining."** Ichiru sweat dropped at this and finally sheathed the ebony swords that were still clutched in his hands.

"So how do I find out what I am?" the teen inquired, huffing as he crossed his arms over his chest. Chuckling at his wielder's clear impatience, the hollow Zanpakuto replied. **"Remember what I've told ya so far, but for now, just keep living yer life as usual. Yer the only one of yer kind, so the answer will come to ya soon enough."**

"And my past memories?" Shiro stiffened at the question, obviously hoping to avoid it. **"Yer past life wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. It might be too much for you."** Ichiru frowned at this. Clearly, the sword spirit would do anything to keep it from him. Yet… it was somehow endearing to have someone try so hard to shield him from something, even if he'd rather not be shielded like a child. "So you'll never let me have them back no matter what?"

The albino narrowed his eyes at this. **"I never said that."** he deadpanned.

 **"I want ya to wait awhile longer and think about this decision and what ya are. It ain't hard since yer the only one of yer kind, as I've said before."** The orangette breathed in relief for getting a chance. He was still ticked off for having to wait longer, but whatever. Looking into Shiro's golden pools in a sea of midnight, Ichiru jolted when he realized that he'd neglected to do something. He mentally slapped himself for being so stupid since it was one of the reasons that he'd come. Guilt swam through his mind, not noticing that rain clouds were gathering in the mental plane as he took a deep breath to speak.

"Thanks Shiro. I mean it. For what you've done for me." Lowering his head in shame, the teen continued as he stared at the ground. Rain clouds drawing even closer.

"As for earlier… I'm so-"

 **"Shut up."** Ichiru flinched and looked up in surprise only to find himself being embraced by Shiro. Pale arms wrapped around the teen's shoulders. One stark white hand rested on his head, gently stroking the orange hair. The orangette found himself relaxing into the hug, resting his chin on the albino's shoulder. Apparently, they were the exact same height.

 **"I should've told ya earlier about yer memories. I should've done a better job at sealing em. There will always be 'I should've', no matter what you do, but that was then and this is now."** Shiro released the teen and stepped back. His psychotic smirk ever present.

 **"Look, ya didn't know. Besides, ya were able to learn my name and regain most of yer powers didn't ya?"** The Hollow Zanpakuto chuckled.

"I guess I did." Ichiru laughed, relief flooding his mind. The rain clouds faded away into oblivion.

 **"Yanno, we should work on yer shunpo for a bit."** The teen blinked at the suggestion. He cocked an eyebrow at the albino when Shiro began to giggle uncontrollably. In an instant, the pale Zanpakuto spirit vanished in a burst of shunpo before reappearing several feet in front of the teen again, laughing insanely. Ichiru nearly choked when he saw the albino reappear with both of the teen's ebony set of blades in his hands.

 **"Ya better catch me if ya want them back!"** Shiro cackled as he shunpoed over to another building, waving the swords in the air in a taunting manner.

"Get back here!" Ichiru raged as he shunpoed after the laughing thief. For hours, the albino danced just out of the teens reach cackling the entire time. By the time it was morning in the outer realm, the orange haired teen still couldn't catch the pale spirit and only managed to steal his swords back just when it was time for him to wake up. Getting out of bed, Ichiru switched to a pair of faded jeans and a red T-shirt with a solid black dragon print on it. It was almost noon when, the teen finally got to the Urahara Shoten, Nobu already waiting for him out in the front.

The candy shop still looked terrible; the rafters were still cracked and hanging precariously; the broken furniture and rubble were piled in the yard; the giant chunks of concrete were still sitting inside the shop; the front doors were taken down, and the walls were cracked with holes and peeling wallpaper. The teen eyed the rafters closely, they were creaking and seemed to be even more cracked and splintering than yesterday. Motioning Nobu to stay outside, the orangette tentatively stepped inside and under the first wooden beam. Almost immediately, the rafter caved in, falling onto the awaiting teen. Said teen could feel his reiatsu as it rushed into his blood, activating his Blut Vein as the wooden pillar crashed onto his head without leaving a scratch as if it were a plushie that had fallen.

"Cool! I didn't know you were a Quincy!" Ichiru mentally jumped in surprise at the Fullbringer's sudden outburst and turned to face the bouncing preteen at the doorway.

"My dad's a quincy too, but he doesn't use Blut Vein very often, I actually wanted to be a quincy just like him but I can't manipulate reishi so instead my fullbring turned out to be a bow and arrownowIcanbeanarchertoo…" Nobu rambled on about how he'd tried to become a Quincy through all sorts of stunts from stealing his dad's Quincy charm bracelet to almost drinking a vial of reshi concentration. All the while, Ichiru was frozen, trying to process what he'd just heard.

 _'I have quincy powers too? The fuck? Was I born from hollow, quincy, and shinigami tossed into a magic blender?'_ The teens mental rant was answered by a watery snicker in the back of his mind.

 ** _'Well, I did say that the answer would come to ya.'_**

 _'Yeah, but I didn't think it would come to me in the very next day.'_ Shaking his head, the orange haired teen turned back to the wreckage and began to drag the fallen beam outside before slowly dragging out the giant chunks of concrete. For the rest of the day, the two transferred the rubble from the yard to the dumpster. It could have gone faster, but Nobu was terrible at manipulating the souls of objects, so he could only lift the smaller chunks of rubble. That night, Ichiru dropped into bed, completely exhausted. He was grateful when Shiro decided not to bother him.

Finally, on the third day, Ichiru was scavenging for tools under the sink to in the back so that he could install the sliding door that Nobu got from a storage room filled with spare doors. Apparently, getting their door busted is a common occurrence. The young Fullbringer was out sweeping in the front, while Ichiru was on his knees, reaching for a box of nails when there was a sudden spike of reiatsu coming from the front. Multiple reiatsu signatures were approaching the shop, but didn't appear to be threatening. Standing up, he could hear Nobu shouting happily from the front.

"Hi Mom! Hi Dad! Hi everyone!" Ichiru ran his hand nervously through his shoulder-length hair. Obviously, these were very powerful people, or at least most of them were. His own reiatsu was still hidden and it didn't seem like any of the people were aware of his presence at the moment, so would it be better to go ahead and flare his reiatsu now or keep hiding it as usual and just walk outside and meet them, since Nobu was acquainted with the group. Deciding to go with the latter choice, the orangette walked towards the entryway. He could see the group from where he was standing inside the shop, although it didn't seem like they'd noticed him yet.

There was a lanky man who resembled Nobu, but with glasses, darker eyes, and his hair swept to the side while wearing an official looking white uniform with blue trimming. Standing right next to him was a large-chested woman with silver eyes and long copper red hair held back by two blue flower clips while wearing a simple purple T-shirt and grey sweatpants. Nobu was wrapped around her waist, indicating that these two were his parents. Next, there was a rather tall and muscular hispanic guy standing nearby, his curly hair hiding his eyes and clad in a simple tee and slacks. There was also an older blonde guy in a green Yukata, clogs, and a green and white striped bucket hat, talking to a dark skinned female with yellow eyes (Not gold like Shiro's) and black hair tied up in a high ponytail while sporting an orange top with black pants.

Nearby, was a guy looking to be in his thirties with short red in a T-shirt and jeans yelling at a tall muscular tan dude with shades, mustache, and an apron. There was also two ladies that looked to be twins, but one had black hair tied in a ponytail while wearing a soccer(foot ball) uniform, and the other had light brown hair tied into pigtails while wearing a yellow spring dress. The twin in the dress seemed to be a few months pregnant. The pair was talking to a third lady with black high pigtails and bangs falling between large doe eyes. Finally, there was an older man, with short spiky black hair and stubble in a Shinigami uniform with a white cape tied around his left shoulder, speaking to the Shinigami midget in a captain's Haori that Ichiru had spotted on his first day in town.

Wanting to get things over with, Ichiru stepped out of the shop and stood there feeling awkward. Almost immediately, people froze in shock the moment that they spotted him. The teen could feel nervous sweat forming. Caution, he could understand, but he didn't anticipate complete and utter shock. His tense shoulders relaxed a little when Shiro began to wash his soul with waves of reassurance emanating from the depths of his mind. Taking a deep breath, Ichiru spoke.

"Um… hi?"

* * *

 **Bwahaha! Finally, the old gang, plus extras, makes their entrance! Obviously, Yuzu is the one who's pregnant, but can you guess who the daddy is? Although, the answer to that might be a bit obvious. Ah well, see ya next update… whenever that is. I don't have a set schedule for typing and posting updates. Also, is this chapter long enough for you? (Ok, that just sounds wrong.)**


	7. React, Analize, Plan

**BEHOLD! AN UPDATE! Yes, I know that it took awhile, but I had computer problems. It happens, but I fixed it so here you go. Now remember, I had this story prewritten so I may have certain pieces of information altered compared to the Canon, such as who died during the Quincy war. And if it turns out that they do die, then I totally called it. Also, this story is based on the assumption that the war ended with one big battle between Yhuwach and Ichigo and that's it. No mind fucks. Also, side-pairings. Yay!**

* * *

Chapter 7

Rukia sighed in relief as she stepped out of the senkaimon and into the empty street that the Urahara Shoten was located on, closely followed by the rest of her group. The petite Shinigami felt exhausted, relieved that she was finally back in Karakura once again. As the captain of Squad 13, in place of the deceased Ukitake-Taicho, she herself enjoyed the two week long festival in memorial of the Thousand Year Blood War alongside everyone else, which included the Arrancar, Quincy, Fullbringers, and Vaizards, even if the two weeks are pretty hectic. The Shinigami, minus those given full time jobs as punishment, are all relieved of their duty majority of the time to do as they please, but still cycle with each other to make sure that their is some sort of guard at the ready. The festival's other purpose is to help maintain the truce held to prevent bloodshed (unless it's a friendly spar).

So much has changed in the past 20 years, for example, Grimmjow and Nelliel are a couple and helping to keep the remaining Arrancar in check within Hueco Mundo while Harribel has become considered the Hollow Queen and reins over Las Noches with her calm demeanor. The former members of Xcution remaining in the World of the Living have all moved to America and now work in Yukio's new electronic's company while also working to locate and help other Fullbringers around the world (like the X-men). Meanwhile, the dead Xcution members continue to work under Kukaku's iron fist, literally, since the head Shiba clan member decided to upgrade her prosthetic to metal with a built in cannon. Another, more recent, change is that Yuzu is finally having a baby after being married to Jinta for 7 years. Karin is rarely home nowadays, and is usually off winning international Championships for her Soccer/FootBall team, while Isshin continues to run the Kurosaki Clinic.

Chad does construction work to earn his pay, Uryu runs a popular local dress shop, and Orihime works in a bakery that actually sells pretty good pastries. Tatsuki runs a Dojo out in Tokyo, Keigo is a Comedic actor working in the States, while Mizuiro somehow managed to marry a bigwig CEO lady. Renji is now the 6th Division Captain in the deceased Kuchiki-Taicho's stead with some person that Rukia didn't know as his Lieutenant. Ikkaku became the 11th Squad's Lieutenant when Yachiru was revealed to be Kenpachi's Zanpakuto Spirit the entire time. Urahara's little group was pretty much the same as always as far as Rukia could tell other than Jinta becoming a father in a few months, but she couldn't be too sure. However, she did know that the biggest change was the arrival of Ishida Nobu.

When Ichigo died, Orihime was crushed for losing the man she loved, even though no one was sure about his feelings in return. Thus, Uryu stepped in and continuously lent the heartbroken healer his support until eventually, the two began to date. Dating led to marriage and marriage led to the birth of Nobu. Rukia had to admit that she absolutely adored the, now 12-year old, Fullbringer almost as much as Chappy the Rabbit. The child was basically a miniature Uryu without glasses, but with Orihime's eyes and bubbly personality.

Nobu had wanted to become a Quincy just like his dad, but with the defeat of Yhwach, the Quincy King's influence disappeared from the bloodlines, thus, no one can ever be born with Quincy abilities ever again. So, when Nobu awakened his Fullbring powers as a flaming bow and arrow from his favorite starfish pendant given to him by his parents, the boy was ecstatic. Rukia really admired Nobu's Fullbring, ' _Exploding fire'_ , which causes an enemy to explodes when hit with enough arrows from his bow, in ratio to the opponent's reiatsu. Plus, she can't help but laugh when the young archer had once set the archery range on fire when he practiced with his father in Urahara's basement the first time. Speaking of which, the petite Shinigami Captain could sense Nobu's presence emanating from the shop.

The group usually stops at the Shoten for a quick rest after returning from the two week Festival, so Rukia wouldn't be surprised if he'd gone just to wait for their return. She signed again in relief as she and the group leisurely walked to the Shoten. After the festival, she stays a week in Karakura to "patrol" her old territory. She always stayed at the Shoten during the week, mainly due to the fact that the closet in Ichigo's room had been turned into a small shrine in memory of the war hero and the fact that the room just held too many memories to be any comfortable to sleep in without feeling painful nostalgia. The short Shinigami, alongside everyone else, missed the Substitute terribly.

Turning her mind back to Nobu, who was apparently flaring his reiatsu in response to their return, Rukia couldn't help but feel sorry for the youngster and disapproval for Uryu's decision to leave his son behind.

' _But then again…'_ She thought. ' _Nobu did burn down their fridge, even if he claims that Orihime's meatloaf surprise was a hollow.'_

Rukia pushed these thoughts away as the group finally turned onto the lot that the Urahara Shoten occupied. When the store came into view, she couldn't help but cock an eyebrow in curiosity at the state of the store. It isn't uncommon for the store to get wrecked, but the fact that the inside appears to have been cleaned out with a spare door laying out in the front, ready to be installed was rather unusual. Nobu was jumping in place next to the spare door, radiating so much excitement that Rukia was reminded of a happily little puppy. The young Fullbringer ran forward to greet the group.

"Hi Mom! Hi Dad!" He squealed, hugging his mother's waist. "I'm sorry! There was a hollow a few days ago and I managed to kill it, but it kept throwing huuuge chunks of concrete!"

Rukia soon tuned out the rambling child that was occupying his parents as she remained towards the back of the group, surveying the site. Due to a wrecked shop being common, no one was panicked, although Yuzu appeared to be worrying over Ururu while Karin was trying to calm down the pregnant soon-to-be mother. Jinta was yelling at Tessai, as expected over, nothing, and Urahara seemed more interested in telling Yoruichi about a new potion he developed for her. Meanwhile, Chad was being Chad and standing off to the side, silently. Rukia hissed as she felt a slight sting on her neck and rubbed the spot to soothe the irritated skin.

"Are you ok?" Rukia turned around and found Isshin staring at her with worry fueled by his fatherly instincts.

"Yes Kurosaki-san. Probably just an ant that hitched a ride from Soul Society. It's happened before." The midget reassured the Ex-Shinigami Captain, but soon became confused when Isshin didn't seem to hear her. Instead, he was staring at something behind her in complete and utter shock. Rukia quickly realized the dead silence that had over taken the group and spun around to face the shop. The sight she saw made her jaw drop as she stood frozen in place just like everyone else as she saw that a young man had stepped out of the shop.

"Um… hi?" The guy was clearly disturbed by the fact that almost everyone looked as if they'd seen a metaphorical ghost, though in a sense, they had. The man was a dead ringer for the deceased Kurosaki Ichigo. Rukia observed the mysterious figure from his casual clothes; consisting of cargo pants; black sneakers; and a red zip up jacket rolled to the elbow over a black T-shirt, to his shoulder length orange hair that reminded the petite Shinigami of the time Ichigo had gone through Saigo no Getsu to fight Aizen. The Ichigo-look alike frowned, causing Rukia to feel her gut twist in nostalgia at the familiar scowl, as the guy peered through his long bangs, unsure of what to do ext. Thankfully, Nobu came to his rescue.

Ichiru!" The unfamiliar name seemed to jolt everyone back to reality as the 12-year old released his mother's waist to run over and drag, the now named, Ichiru by the arm towards the group.

"Look! This is my mom and dad And that's Uncle Urahara, and Aunt Yoruichi, Chad-chan, Aunty Yuzu, Aunt Karin, Aunt Ururu, Uncle Jinta, Tessai-san, Old man Isshin, and Aunt Rukia!" Nobu introduced excitedly, pointing out each person respectively, making Rukia mentally chuckle at the young Fullbringer's enthusiasm. Ichiru waved in greeting with a sheepish grin, creating a picture that the petite Kuchiki found rather adorable with Nobu still clinging to his arm.

"I'm Kurokatu Ichiru. Nice to meet you everyone." Finally freeing his arm from the bouncy Archer, the orangette turned towards Urahara.

"Urahara-san correct? I assume this store belongs to you, given its name?" He asked. Urahara pulled out his notorious fan, covering his mouth as his hat cast a shadow over his eyes, showcasing his signature move. Rukia could practically see the various wacky gears turning in the genius's head and wondered what elaborate plan the man had, no doubt, concocted in that instant.

"Indeed. What of it?" inquired the shopkeeper. Ichiru scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Well… Sorry if I'm intruding on your property, but Nobu had asked for help with fixing the mess caused by a hollow and I just couldn't refuse." From where she stood, Rukia could see Urahara smile gently behind his fan, though whether it was out of fondness or mischief she couldn't tell. Clearly, the shopkeeper wanted to draw out as much information as he can from the young man, but it seemed that Nobu beat him to it.

"Ichiru really really nice so I like calling him Ichi-nii! He helped me with my reiatsu sensing skills, got Aunty Yuzu's curry out of the fridge for me, AND his has a lots and lots of reiatsu but he likes hiding it so hollows won't try getting him in his sleep! Oh Dad! Guess what?! Guess what?! Ichi-nii's a Quincy!" Rukia cocked an eyebrow at this and turned to the orangette, stepping closer to stand to the left of Urahara.

"Is this true?" The orange haired man locked eyes with the Captain and she couldn't help but marvel at how even his chocolate brown eyes matched Ichigo's. She was practically staring in awe and was so lost that she almost missed his answer.

"That's what Nobu says, but I don't know if I can make a bow-and-arrow. I can, however, use Blut Vene." To prove this, Ichiru pushed up one of his sleeves, and immediately, glowing blue veins raced up his arm beneath the skin. Urahara seemed delighted at the intriguing sight.

"My my! That's pretty strong!" Urahara exclaimed cheerfully, waving his fan at the glowing arm. "But I must ask, are you new in town? I'm pretty sure I would remember someone as colorful as you in this small town."

The orangette nodded. "I moved in two weeks ago. I'm actually attending the college here in about another two weeks."

"College? How old are you?"

"Nineteen." Rukia's eyes widened in surprise with the answer, completely baffled.

' _The numbers don't add up.'_ She thought. ' _If he was born a year after the defeat of Yhwach, then there should be no way that he can use any Quincy techniques, and yet-'_ Her thoughts were interrupted when the shopkeeper spoke again.

"Well, it was nice to meet you Kurokatu-san, but we've just got from a two week long trip and really should get ourselves resituated." The teen nodded in understanding as Urahara began ushering everyone else, who'd either been whispering amongst themselves or remained quiet as they watched the exchange.

"Ah, sure. I'll just go home then. Nice to meet you." Ichiru walked past the group spilling into the shop.

"Come on by tomorrow! I ju~st might have something to show my gratitude for the cleanup!" Urahara called after the orangette before stepping into his shop. Ichiru waved back without turning around.

"Thanks Geta-boushi!" He called before finally disappearing as he rounds a corner. All Rukia could think as she shook her head and finally walked inside was, ' _He even acts like Ichigo.'_

Stepping into the shop, the petite Shinigami Captain noted the state of the store area, which was empty with stray piles of dust, before stepping into the back to join the rest of the group. The room they were occupying was the same tiny lounge as always with its circular brown coffee table and a small pillow for each person to sit on. Uryu sat patiently at the table while nibbling on a rice cracker from a bowl that sat on the table. Yuzu was sitting on Uryu's left, linking one hand with Jinta's while the other rested on her bulging stomach. Karin was seated on Jinta's other side followed by Ururu, completing the loop.

Yoruichi had reverted to her cat form and was currently lounging on the table in front of Ururu and Uryu. Chad was stoically seated in the back behind the Quincy, leaning against the wall while Isshin was seated behind his pregnant daughter. Tessai was also seated in the back next to Chad and Urahara was leaning against one of the walls and was clearly waiting for Rukia to show up. Everyone had a cup of steaming tea with an extra cup sitting on the table for the Petite Captain. Rukia grabbed her tea and opted to sit by the entrance as she carefully sipped her drink, noting that both Nobu and Orihime were missing. Probably downstairs so that Nobu doesn't hear anything that he might spill outside of these walls.

"It's him isn't it?" Yoruichi's deep baritone of her cat form finally broke the silence with what everyone was thinking. Urahara shrugged as he pulled out a small device with a screen from within his robes and waved it in the air cheerfully.

"I couldn't get a reiatsu sample to confirm it, but based on appearance, personality, and ability to use Blut Vene when logic says he shouldn't be able to, I'd say yes! Although, if it is Ichigo, then I'm surprised that he can control his spiritual pressure at all, much less be able to hide it so well unless you look for it. He's a bad liar anyways if he was hiding it, bu~t it would appear that he doesn't remember us, or at least not on a conscious level " The happy shopkeeper immediately became serious as he continued. "However, assuming that he _is_ in fact Ichigo reborn, it's unknown how he has been able to reincarnate while retaining at least the majority of the same qualities as his past life."

This caused many eyebrows to raise. Isshin took this time to speak up. "Wasn't there a massive decades long project that the 12 Division devised concerning reincarnation?" The Ex- 10th Division Captain asked. However, Tessai was the one to answer him.

"There was, back before our exile. It was also a collaboration with the Kido Corps and I personally helped to oversee the project. It was a head member of a branch of Squad 12 that had started the project, so I hadn't met Urahara-sama yet." The old Kido Captain elaborated. Meanwhile, the shopkeeper had rolled a chalkboard into the room and began a rough sketch of a diagram.

"According to results, when a soul is killed for the second time, it leaves its spiritual form and becomes an entity of a separate dimension that overlaps our own as a second layer. That soul is immediately transported to the Soul King alongside countless others. Upon reaching the Soul King, they become filtered through his very being and what happens next is unknown." The Scientists explained as he doodled a stick figure getting killed then an arrow that leads from the dead soul to another stick figure that has a crown drawn over it's head. Rukia mentally humphed, telling herself that her drawings were so much better than mere stick figures, although she couldn't help but cringe when the Soul King was mentioned. However, she was intrigued as to why the remainder of the process was unknown if this project had lasted decades. Uryu was the one to voice everyone's thoughts this time.

"Why is it unknown?" He asked, knowing full well what'll happen next. "I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED!" Urahara practically screamed, whipping out his infernal fan.

"All sorts of trackers were tagged onto volunteers who were close to their end, and no, they weren't killed or purposely maimed just for this. They were Shinigami who have suffered either fatal wounds or were dying of disease and wanted to contribute what little they could to the Seireitei with their last breath. Anyways, when the tracked souls reached the Soul King, all of the tags get removed from their souls, so what happens next remains-" Urahara whips out a ruler from nowhere and flips the chalkboard over to show the back and smacks his ruler over the single word written in colorful chalk across the board that read: "UNKNOWN!"

Rukia could practically hear crickets chirping as she, along with almost everyone else, sweatdropped at the crazy Shopkeepers enthusiasm. However, Urahara continued on with his lecture.

"Since trackers and tags didn't work, the reiatsu of various deceased souls were recorded then once they passed over, the reiatsu of newborn souls were recorded. According to _those_ results, it's theorized that souls become literally reset to a regressed form of a pure soul with hardly any reiatsu and no ID before being distributed at random to vessels of new life. Be it a newborn in the Soul Society or the Living World; or if it's born as a human or an animal. The soul then absorbs reiatsu from its new parents in order to establish its own level of reiatsu while also following the laws of genetics for its physical appearance. However, it's been recorded that some resetted souls have managed to keep a very small part of their old life so they might have faint memories or retain a small genetic feature, regardless of their new parent's genetic makeup, but never on the level that Ichiru seems to have obtained, though it's probably thanks to the Soul King. I do believe that Kurokatu-san might still have his memories, but they're simply suppressed."

Rukia cringed once more at the thought of the Soul King, being one of a few who knew the truth about him, but felt relief flooding through her at the thought that she could get her friend back after all these years. She could see similar thoughts going through everyone who didn't have a poker face. Karin tsked. "That's so typical of him. Even in his next life, Ichi-nii's an enigma." Everyone laughed good heartedly and Rukia joined in, encouraged even more by Isshin's loud guwaffing and Jinta laughing himself to tears. Once they'd all calmed down, a new problem arose.

"What do we do now?" Chad asked quietly. Yoruichi drew attention as she got up and stretched on the table.

"I would suggest leaving the boy alone. He has a new life now so we shouldn't push him to do anything." She spoke in a deep baritone as she cleaned one of her paws. Uryu, on the other hand, shook his head.

"He is obviously spiritually aware and, according to Nobu, is already helping spirits escape from hollows. It's inevitable that he'll encounter one of us as we deal with the hollows. Also, if what Urahara-san say is true and his memories are suppressed, then what would happen if he suddenly regained them?" Those words worried Rukia, when another thought occurred to her.

"If his memories are suppressed then what about his powers? We know he has Blut Vene, but what about his Shinigami and Hollow powers? What if they become unstable? With his new state of being?" The young Kuchiki asked with a frown, she didn't want Ichiru, to face inner conflict the way he had as Ichigo during the Winter War.

"We~ll, I suppo~se we could try being his friends again." Urahara replied slyly from behind his fan. "However, that's only if he let's us. So, no forcing, but I do recommend keeping an eye out for him. After all, Kurokatu-san only has Blut Vene for enhanced defense, but no offensive techniques as far as we know."

Turning, the Shopkeeper addressed the sole Quincy in the room. "Ishida-san, I want you to offer to train Kurokatu-san on how to summon and use a Quincy bow since he's stated that he couldn't do it, but if he refuses, keep the offer open but, as I've said before, no forcing."

Everyone appeared satisfied, if things went well, then they could have a new friend amongst them. Rukia didn't want to think about what would happen if they ended up driving him away, so she began going over various ways that she could earn his friendship and trust. She knew that Chad would be his quiet self as always, and Orihime would simply open up to Ichiru once she heard what the group had discussed from her husband. Yuzu had her cooking, and Isshin will no doubt act like a fool as usual. The Squad 13 Captain soon noticed that the "meeting" was apparently adjourned since Yuzu was discussing lunch plans with Ururu while Karin and Jinta were arm wrestling (Jinta was losing as usual).

Yoruichi has disappeared alongside Urahara who'd retreated into one of his laboratories. Uryu was heading towards the basement with a bowl of rice crackers for his Son and Wife, followed by Chad. Wanting to do something herself, Rukia headed outside and began to shunpo from roof to roof. She felt so happy by the recent developments that the sky might as well start raining Chappy plushies. She couldn't wait for tomorrow when Ichiru comes by again.

* * *

 **Well there you have it. If you're wondering why Rukia is cringing about the Soul King, it's because of a theory I have on who the Soul King is in the Manga. So, if the manga confirms it, then I'll go ahead and announce who he is early, but otherwise, you'll have to wait until I get to that part of my story. Also, how was my logic on the process of reincarnation?**


	8. Cutting Moon

**Yeah yeah, it took me awhile to type this up. I was busy ok? I was gonna post this earlier, but I decided to post my One-Shot 'Contrast' instead. I recommend go reading it, or at least checking it out.**

* * *

Chapter 8

 **"Why're ya actin so mopey, eh?"** Ichiru opened his eyes at the sound of the watery voice. Upon getting home, the teen had gone straight to bed, dropped into his inner world, and was now laying sprawled on the side of a building with his swords lying at his side. He locked eyes with Shiro Zangetsu, who was standing over the teen, leaning forward with his arms crossed. The usual psychotic smirk was plastered on his pale face alongside a cocked eyebrow that displayed his concern for his wielder. The Zanpakuto spirit waited patiently for a response.

"I'm fine" Ichiru grumbled, earning him a scoff from his Zanpakuto. Shiro crouched down and smacked the orangette upside the head.

"AH! Ok, ok!" The teen growled when he sat up, scowling at the snickering albino as he rubbed his throbbing temple.

 **"So they were surprised to see ya. That doesn't mean ya should act like someone stole yer Wi-Fi."** Ichiru stared in disbelief.

"Again with the Wi-Fi?"

 **"Yep"** The orange haired teen shook his head in exasperation. "Whatever." He huffed. A moment of silence passed when he realized that Shiro was still staring at him expectantly. **"So, ya gonna answer my question or not?"**

Ichiru ran a hand through his orange, shoulder-length hair in annoyance as well as slight confusion. "You can read my mind can't you? Why bother asking?" He received a chuckle from the crouching albino in return.

 **"Cuz talking would make you feel better. Normally I'd just spar with ya, but things are different. As for the mind reading thing, that's only when yer out there and only because you don't know how to keep yer thoughts to yerself"** Ichiru couldn't help but wonder if the 'Normally' mentioned, applied to his past life, but shrugged it off. The two sat in silence for what felt like forever, until the orangette had enough.

"So, I'm guessing those people knew me in my past life." It wasn't a question. Shiro Zangetsu hummed in response, contemplating on how to answer, elbows resting on his knees. After a moment, he sighed before turning back to the orange haired teen.

 **"Yeah. Ya grew up in this very town and died roughly twenty years ago, so it's kinda inevitable for ya to run into yer old friends and family."** Rather than displaying the usual smirk, Ichiru saw Shiro showcasing a sheepish smile as he spoke. After hearing the explanation, the teen quickly grew worried.

"What happens when they figure out that I really AM their old friend? Should I be their friend like before? Would they want me to be just like my old self? I'm still not even sure if I want my memories back. What if-" Shiro halted Ichiru's panicked rambling by grabbing his wrist and yanking him forward. The orangette found himself caught in an embrace with his head tucked under the, now kneeling, albino's chin. The teen looked up from the hug, blushing lightly despite his scowl as the Zanpakuto spirit grinned triumphantly.

 **"I don't recall ya ever being a worry wart. Neither in this life or the last."**

"But-"

 **"No buts. Although I wouldn't mind the other kind."** Ichiru spluttered at this, his blush darkening severely at the leering albino's suggestion, but Shiro continued as if nothing happened.

 **"It don't matter if they find out or not, though I can guarantee that they will. When they do, it's up to you if ya wanna be friends with them. Besides, the you from before and the you from now are one and the same. The only difference is yer name, experience, and memories. As for yer memories, yer the king so you can decide if ya want to remember or not, but only when yer ready. So, they can't pressure you with that kind of decision, and they're not those kinds of people anyways."** The Zanpakuto spirit released his wielder to signal the end of his little speech and ruffled his orange hair as a sign of good will and moved to stand up. However, the teen wrapped his arms around Shiro's shoulders and pulled the surprised spirit into another hug. Shiro sat, straddling his king's lap, stunned by Ichiru's sudden action before finally returning the hug. He smiled as he leaned into the embrace, feeling the positive energy pouring from the orangette's soul.

"Thanks Zangetsu." Ichiru murmured into the Zanpakuto spirit's shoulder. Zangetsu didn't have to ask to know that the orangette truly meant it if he was using the sword's true name. Suddenly, the teen released the albino and quickly jumped up, grabbing his swords from beside him as he did so. Almost immediately, Shiro had to shunpo backwards to avoid getting slashed by the larger of the two ebony blades in the teens ready hands.

 **"Now what's with the sudden mood change?"** Shiro grinned ferally as he drew his own ivory swords. Ichiru laughed lightly as he got into a readied stance, pointing the larger blade gripped in his right hand at the albino.

"Well, I figured that you'd be sick of being sappy for my sorry ass by now. So how about a spar instead?" With that, the teen leaped forward to shred Shiro apart.

 **"Aww, yer so sweet King!"** Shiro jeered as he blocked both oncoming blades with his own. However, he was thrown backwards into a building by a kick to the stomach. Laughing hysterically, Shiro leaped from the small crater he created and sent a wordless Getsuga Tensho towards the teen. Ichiru shunpoed to the side, blocking the oncoming oversized Khyber knife coming down on his head with his own obsidian blade, but hissed in pain when the albino lashed out with his trench knife and managed to slice open the teens right forearm. Lunging forward and pushing both of them into the air, the orange haired teen blocked both ivory blades with his larger blade and arm reinforced with Blut Vene as he dived down, stabbing Shiro's left thigh with his black trench knife. Still laughing like the maniac he is, the Zapakuto spirit ripped his leg away from the offending blade and lifted a finger from his left hand, that held the white trench blade, to release a cero at point blank range.

Ichiru quickly increased his Blut Vene to span as much of his body as he could and raised both blades to block his face as he became engulfed by the red energy blast. The glowing red light exploded on impact, tossing the orangette through a building, this time with enough force to cause the skyscraper to collapse. Breaking free of the falling rubble, Ichiru used shunpo to escape the flying dust cloud only to find Shiro standing atop the side of the building in front of him, swinging his giant Khyber knife like a top as he gripped the sword by its bandage wrapping. When the white blade was launched at the teen, he used his black trench knife to divert the colossal blade away from his face and dived down as he swung his other sword in a wide, diagonal arc. Shiro just barely parried the sword, now slowly biting into his shoulder, with the short blade gripped in his left hand, and with the right, yanked on the cloth connected to the larger blade, causing the white sword to swing back and slash open Ichiru's back.

Grunting in pain, the teen released a Getsuga Juujishou with a battle cry before using shunpo to put space between himself and the hollowfied Zanpakuto. As dust from the explosion caused by the power move settled, Ichiru could see the albino grinned savagely as he once again gripped the handle of his giant khyber sword. In the next instant, both opponents flash stepped between buildings, bullrushing each other and trading blows each time they met in midair. On the fifth trade, Shiro's smile threatened to split his face as he performed a backflip, kicking Ichiru in the jaw and causing the teen to momentarily freefall before he could catch himself. The moment was all the Zanpakuto spirit needed and he dived down, ripping open the teen's right shoulder with the trench knife and releasing a wordless Getsuga Tensho at point blank, giving no time for the orangette to block.

With a shout of pain, the orange haired teen was thrown back, going right through a building and collapsing onto another skyscraper. Exhausted, Ichiru fought to catch his breath as he laid on the smooth surface, his two ebony swords lay dropped on either side of him, and the gashes on his back and shoulder, alongside several other cuts and scratches, leaked blood. Both shoulder pads were hanging at his waist and the right sleeve was torn off when the shoulder was sliced open. The teen gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut as his adrenaline slipped away, giving way for pain to course through him. A slight shift in air to his left told the orangehead that Shiro was now standing beside him.

 **"Ya did pretty good King."** Ichiru snorted in disbelief, only to wince in pain. There was a shuffling, then a cool hand placed on the orangette's exposed chest. With a sigh of relief, Ichiru could feel his wounds heal as soothing reiatsu was poured into his being. When the hand retreated, chocolate eyes fluttered open to see a grinning albino sitting cross legged on the teens left side. Shiro's ivory swords were already sheathed, and the pale spirit seemed content with just sitting there, snickering.

 **"I mean it Ichi. You've gotten better. Definitely faster, though ya need to work on yer reaction time."** Ichiru glared at Shiro in return. "Better my ass! The fight barely lasted five minutes!"

The Zanpakuto spirit rolled his eyes before standing and began walking around the tired teen in order to collect the dropped weapons. The orangette's eyes went wide as he observed the albino and saw him limping slightly as he walked. Blood was dripping from a large stab wound on Shiro's left thigh, staining the white Hakame's left side a bright crimson color, while a shallow cut rested on a pale right shoulder. The white Shihakusho was slightly burnt and was loose enough to showcase a large bruise that was forming over the albino's stomach where his King had kicked him before. Various other bruises, cuts and burns were scattered on Shiro's arms, legs, and face, but despite this, he still had a shit-eating grin.

 **"See King? Ya did good!"** Exclaimed the wounded albino, when he noticed Ichiru's surprise, as he sat back down on the right side of the orange haired teen and began wiping the larger of the two ebony blades, resting on his knees, clean.

"Are you gonna be ok?" Ichiru frowned. Shiro just kept grinning as he moved on to clean the black trench knife. As he did so, all of his wounds began to bubble with a white substance that immediately died down and smoothed itself over alabaster white skin, removing any signs that the albino had ever been hurt. Even his outfit seemed to fix and clean itself. Meanwhile, Ichiru was gaping from where he laid, looking between Shiro's pristine outfit and his own shredded cloth and armor.

"Ok. How'd you do that, and can I copy you?" The orange haired teen finally spoke. The albino Zanpakuto spirit chuckled as he set the two blades to the side. **"For the wounds, it's called Instant or High-speed Regeneration. It's a hollow technique that simply requires ya to pour yer reiatsu into yer wounds. As for the clothes, just do the same thing, but ya can only do that in here cuz it's a mental plane. Out there, ya need to let yer reiatsu reserves to refill itself."**

Ichiru nodded and scowled as he began to concentrate. After a few moments, the black fabric of his clothes quickly knitted itself back together and the shoulderpad were fixed and strapped on.

 **"So… are ya just gonna lay there for the next few hours till ya get up?"** Shiro stared down at the teen curiously. Ichiru nodded in return. "That was the idea. This might be my head, but I still feel tired and sore."

The albino contemplated the answer before shrugging. Then he proceeded to lay down next to the orangette, resting his head on Ichiru's shoulder. **"I let ya use me as a pillow last time, remember? So don't ask.."** Shiro mumbled. Minutes passed in silence as the two slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next day, Ichiru found himself scowling up at the Urahara Shoten, contemplating on whether or not he should enter. The place looked so brand new that it might as well sparkle. It made the teen's few days of work seem meaningless compared to the obvious progress made in several hours. Figuring he had nothing to lose and to just shrug it off, Ichiru approached the door. Immediately, it flew open, startling the teen who swore that his reiatsu was still hidden. Standing in the entryway was the dark haired Shinigami midget with violet eyes from the day before. Only this time, she was wearing a pale pink spring dress with a pastel green ribbon tied around the middle, ending with a small bow in the front.

"Hey Ichiru! You look nice!" The teen blinked at this compliment. All he was wearing was a dark purple T-shirt that had the Japanese kanji for 'dragon' in white, and a pair of cargo pants with blue sneakers. He didn't think that his outfit could be categorized as "nice". Though he suppose that she just wanted to be nice.

"Um… thanks?" Big mistake.

"What do you mean 'Um...thanks'?!" The midget fumed. "When a lady gives you a compliment, you say 'Thank you!' and give her a compliment in return, IDIOT!"

The petite figure smiled with a sparkle in her eye when she mentioned compliment, but that immediately turned into a heated glare when she said 'idiot' and proceeded to kick the teen in the shin. Hard. Ichiru was completely baffled at her for lecturing him on manners as he hopped backwards on his good leg and rubbed his sore shin soothingly while pouring a little reiatsu into it to heal. At least he bothered to thank her at all! Fortunately, Ichiru was saved by none other than the shady looking shopkeeper.

"Now now Kuchiki-Taichou. Kurokatu-san did thank you, so he may enter the shoten now." Urahara stated from behind his fan as he appeared behind the Shinigami. Pouting, the apparent captain walked inside and disappeared in the back. Cautious, the orange haired teen stepped into the shop, followed by the shopkeeper who closed the door behind him, and nearly groaned in frustration. The inside was as neat and tidy as the outside, with its rows of assorted candy and doo-dads and he wondered if he should've bothered at all. As if reading his mind, Urahara chuckled.

"No worries Kurokatu-san, your efforts were not in vain. In fact, it was quite admirable of you to help Nobu-chan with the clean up. Especially since you must've taken time out of your busy schedule to help." Ichiru stopped at the cash register; turned around; and scowled suspiciously at the shopkeeper who was clearly smiling behind his fan and in the shadow of his stupid bucket hat. Somehow, the shady Geta-boushi seemed to be indicating something with that last sentence.

 ** _'Just take the bait. I can guarantee that ya can't win with this guy's super brain. Besides, ya'll get something good in the end… I think.'_** The teen mentally shrugged and followed Shiro's advice.

"No problem Geta-Boushi." Ichiru stated, hoping he didn't appear as nervous as he felt. "Actually, I didn't have anything planned, so I was happy to help."

"Indeed?" Urahara asked, slyly peeking out from under his hat. "Surely you have a paying job to attend to?" So that's where the creep was going with this.

"No." The teen grumbled. Ichiru couldn't help it, he tried looking for a job while playing hide-n-seek with Nobu, but no one seemed to need help. Though he suspects that at least more than one place just didn't want to hire a guy with shoulder-length orange hair like him. Returning his thoughts to the current situation, the teen watched as Urahara seemed to be laughing triumphantly in his mind.

"So, you're unemployed, with a student college loan, and a rented apartment?"

"Yep." The orangette decided not to question how the shopkeeper knew that last part, figuring that his brain would hurt less if he did so.

"Are your parents sending money?" Sighing, Ichiru shook his head. He was always distant from them, and with knowledge of his reincarnation, it seems like his parents' only purpose was to conceive him back into the world.

"My my!" Laughed Urahara. "Perhaps you'd like to take a job here?"

Seeing no better option and liking the idea to finally get money to pay his rent, the teen nodded. "That would help a lot. Thank you." Fate must love to troll around, because the shopkeeper immediately pulled out a stack of boxes from behind a candy shelf and shoved them into the teen's chest.

"Great! Yo~u can start now, by taking the~se into the back!" Urahara exclaimed as he spun the bewildered orange haired teen around and began pushing him into the back rooms. "Kuchiki-chan will show you the ropes!"

"Wait! Shouldn't there be an interview or something?!" The orangette yelled, desperately trying to stall the madman while simultaneously trying to keep the stack of boxes, that reached over his head, from falling over.

"No need Kurokatu-san! I checked the recordings from my hidden cameras planted everywhere and I must say that you're quite a diligent worker!" With a final shove, the insane shopkeeper pushed Ichiru into the back, closing the sliding door to leave the poor teen to his task. Sighing at the day's craziness, he stepped forward… only to bump into something. Confused, Ichiru turned his body to the left in order to see around the large boxes. Standinging there was an unamused midget, impatiently tapping her foot.

"Ah! Sorry -er, Rukia right? I didn't see you there with these boxes in my face." He forced an awkward smile on his facing, hoping she won't blow up again, while also silently activating Blut Vene in his legs, just in case someone decided to kick him again. Fortunately, his wish for safety was granted. Rukia sighed, shuffling her feet a bit before gesturing him to follow her.

"Sorry about earlier" The petite Shinigami spoke as she led Ichiru to a storage closet. "It's just… you reminded me of a close friend of mine, and I momentarily forgot that I barely know you to be so relaxed." She explained as she fidgeted with her dress and avoided eye contact. Chuckling as he put away the last box, the teen turned and patted Rukia on the shoulder.

"It's ok. I'm glad I remind you of a friend and not an enemy." The petite girl blushed as she looked down, before frowning and shaking away the rosy coloring. Then she turned and began walking towards another door.

"Come on, there are more boxes we need to get." She called over her shoulder. So Ichiru followed until he got to a room filled with empty boxes and several piles of candy.

"Some of the shipping boxes got damaged, so we need to sort the candy into new boxes for storage. You need to separate them according to the labels on each box." Rukia explained as she took a seat on an empty spot on the floor and began tossing candy into each box accordingly.

"So, are you the only employee here? I don't sense anyone else in the building." The orangette spoke as he took a seat himself and began sorting. The Shinigami chuckled in return.

"Oh I'm not an employee. I just like to help out around the shop while I'm visiting Karakura. Tessei, the large man with glasses and mustache, is the assistant manager and he's out on a grocery run. Jinta, the redhead, does stock and clean up, but he's spending time with his wife and her sister right now. Ururu, the lady with black pigtails and bangs, is the last employee and she also does stock and cleanup. She's currently downstairs in the basement testing on a new product for Urahara." Rukia explained. "The basement is massive and is designed to look like a barren rock field with a realistic sky. It's also laced with several barriers to hide reiatsu down there. So it's a great training and testing ground. You could set off multiple bombs down there and no one upstairs would notice."

Ichiru whistled in amazement. "I hope I'm allowed to see this. Though I find the idea of a Shinigami captain from Seireitei working in a candy store kinda funny." He mused. The midget merely scoffed.

"Well Urahara used to be a captain too you know, but how do you know about Seireitei?" She looked up from her candy pile to see Ichiru still concentrated on sorting candy, yet he had a soft smile on his face.

"A close friend of mine told me. He taught me about the three worlds, reiatsu control, and told me about you Shinigami, the Quincy, and all of the other races." Ichiru felt warm as he thought about the times when he and Shiro just sat and talked. Although he didn't reveal anything about the past, Shiro did talk about some of the people he knew about, like Ashido Kano the lost Shinigami of the Hollow forest and Komamura Sajin, the former canine captain of Squad 7 from the Beast Realm. He loved spending time with the cocky albino, whether it was playing games or when the Zanpakuto spirit played the Devil's advocate to teach the teen how to fight, it didn't really matter. Ichiru snapped out of his thoughts when he realized that Rukia was speaking.

"Sounds like an interesting friend you have." The Shinigami frowned as if a strange thought occurred to her, but she simply shook her head and rubbed the side of her neck as she returned to the task of candy sorting. The orangette hummed in agreement as he too focused on the candy. Several quiet minutes later, the teen looked up to see the midget rubbing her neck for what seemed like the fifth time.

"Are you ok? You're rubbing your neck an awful lot." Ichiru blinked as Rukia snapped her head up in surprise only to begin blushing furiously as she made eye contact.

"N-nothing! I just have a bug bite that's all." The Shinigami captain mumbled the last part and turned back to her work. Ichiru shrugged and wondered if Rukia always acted like this, but figured that since he only just met her, that he'll have to wait and see.

* * *

Ichiru gaped in amazement as he stood in the vast basement. After a few more hours of sorting candy, moving boxes, and various other tasks, he was finally given a break. Urahara had showed him the hidden entry way under a tatami mat, giving him permission to go in, so here he was. Ururu had already left after finishing up with whatever task Urahara had given her, the shopkeeper himself was manning the cash register, and Rukia had decided to go visit Orihime and help look after her son. Thus, the orangette was in the basement alone.

The teen wondered what Shiro was doing since he didn't utter a word while Ichiru was on duty. Sitting down and leaning against a boulder, the orangette closed his eyes and slipped into his inner world. When he opened his eyes again, Ichiru noted that the albino's reiatsu was emanating from within one of the skyscrapers a little ways away, but not from the entertainment building that they usually went to, which had a bright green flag to identify with on its side. In a burst of shunpo, the orange haired teen raced to the skyscraper, his Shinigami attire flapping in the wind. Once he got to the building, he slipped into an open window, the usual entryway for the buildings. Inside, he found himself within what looked like a small house.

There was a sliding door off to the side that seemed to lead to a small clinic. It was dark inside, lit only by the light of a full moon that was shining through the windows. The house seemed to have basic furniture and simple decorations. In the dining room, there was a large poster hanging on the wall, but duct-tape was covering whatever it was displaying. Following Shiro's reiatsu trail, Ichiru walked up a small set of stairs that led into a hallway with multiple closed doors, noting that all of the picture frames hanging on the walls were blacked out.

Shiro's trail led to a door with a plaque hanging on it, but it too was covered in duct-tape, blocking whatever it showed. Quietly opening the door, Ichiru stepped into what appeared to be a bedroom. There was a closet door on the same wall as the entrance, but it was covered in chains. On the opposite side of the room was the only furniture in the room, a bed pushed up against the wall underneath a window that spilled moonlight into the small space. Shiro was laying on the bed, on top of the blanket, and sound asleep, facing the closet.

Walking closer, Ichiru could see the albino's two ivory blades leaning against the wall while Shiro was curled up with something clutched in his arms. Drawing closer, the orange haired teen could see that what he thought was a teddy bear was actually some sort of orb the size of a volleyball that was releasing a soft, warm orange glow. The teen carefully sat at the edge of the bed and smiled as he took in the appearance of the sleeping Zanpakuto spirit. Shiro had a soft small of content drawn on his pale face as he snuggled with the strange orb. The sight was so sweet that the teen felt his soul swelling and could've sworn that the strange orb was glowing just a little bit brighter, but not so much that it would disrupt the calm atmosphere.

 _'Whatever this place is, it's obviously important.'_ Ichiru thought to himself as he quietly stood up again. As he quickly left the sleeping albino, closing the door behind him, the orangette decided that he wouldn't bug Shiro about the building. Instead, he'll wait until his Zanpakuto wanted to talk to him about it, even if that meant never. Leaving, his inner world to return to Urahara's basement, Ichiru smiled as he observed the artificial sky, remembering the soft look of contentment on Shiro's porcelain white face.

* * *

 **And there you go. How was the action sequence? Yay, nay, or meh? Also, go yaoi moments!**


	9. Movies and Mischief

**Hazah! I grant you readers the gift of another chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 9

 ** _'King! Let's watch that!'_**

 _'What do you mean 'that'?! You're in my head, I can't see where you're pointing!'_ Ichiru scowled. He couldn't believe that he let the damn chalkface talk him into doing this.

 _ **'This 'Damn Chalkface' can hear you, yanno? Yer barrier is still weak as shit'**_ Shiro cackled in his head. The Zanpakuto spirit had gotten fed up with constantly hearing Ichiru's monotone thoughts as he counted, sorted, and stocked as he worked at the Urahara Shoten from 9am to 3pm for the past five days. So, two days ago, he decided to teach Ichiru how to put up a barrier to keep thoughts to himself, unless he was speaking to Shiro over their mental link. Currently, the orange haired teen had left the shop for the day two hours ago and was now at movie theatre that showed old foreign movies, at Shiro's request. Unfortunately, the pale hollow was being annoyingly difficult as usual.

' _Can't_ _you just tell me the title?'_ The teen asked in exasperation.

 _ **'Now where's the fun in that?'**_ The albino taunted. Ichiru growled in frustration as he stood before the theatre with his arms crossed. A tainted cloud of frustration lingered around him, causing the passing people to keep a wide berth as they passed, some even going as far as crossing the street. Not wanting to hear Shiro make some smart ass comment on his choice of words, Ichiru threw up a steel barrier and allowed a hurricane of swearing to blow through his mind. Once the mental storm finally subsided, the orange haired teen felt better when the albino gave no comment.

 _ **'Uh, King? Ya gonna pick a movie or what?'**_ Ichiru heard Shiro question after several silent minutes.

' _Oh, sorry. I was just thinking.'_ Came the huffed response as the teen went back to scrutinizing over the movie options. A quiet, double-toned echo of a snicker was heard,

' ** _Ya sure? Cuz I only hear the wind in this head of yours.'_** The Zanpakuto jeered. This caused the orangette to pause. He finally managed to put up an durable barrier, and just like with other techniques, he was successful… because Shiro had pushed him. A small smile graced his face at the private thought as gratitude swept through the teen.

 _'Thanks Zangetsu.'_ Ichiru could feel his frustration slip away again. He never could seem to stay mad at the albino for very long.

 _ **'Oh? Whatever for?** **'**_ The pale spirit asked as innocently as he could. The orangette chuckled out loud as he shook his head, replying with a quick, ' _Nothing.'_

 _'Anyways, I can only think of two movies that you could be interested in. The first is that horror movie from 2004 with a puppet that puts people in death games. The other is that movie from seven years ago, with a smart ass anti-hero who breaks the fourth wall. So either pick one or we're leaving.'_ The teen thought quickly, trying to get them back on topic before the sun decided to start setting in several hours.

 _ **'Yea, yea. Do the second one. The puppet takes too long to get to the good part anyways. Too much planning and thinking.'**_ Shiro grumbled the last part, saying it pointedly as if he were referring to someone, and Ichiru got the feeling that the someone was him. The teen quickly got in line to buy a ticket for the Deadpool movie. Ticket in hand, he turned to enter the theatre when he heard a loud call.

"Kurokatu-kun!" Turning around, he spotted Rukia and…. what's her name? ...Orihime! Rukia, in a lavender spring dress, and Orihime, dressed in a simple pink T-shirt and long orange skirt, came bounding towards him. Walking at a steady pace behind them was, if he remembered their names correctly, Uryu in a white basic button up and grey slacks, and Chad in a navy longsleeve shirt and white jeans. There was also a black cat perched on Chad's left shoulder for some reason.

"Fancy running into you here Kurokatu-kun!" Orihime, who was the one who'd called him, piped up cheerfully. She practically bounced right up to him, her colossal chest getting very close to making contact with his own male flatness. If he didn't already know that she was in her thirties with a twelve year old son, Ichiru could've sworn that the copper-red haired lady was a bubbly high schooler. Rukia, was thankfully much calmer and gently pulled the excited women away from the teen.

"So, what are you doing here? You're all alone, yet you're dressed up as if you're meeting someone. I don't remember you wearing that earlier" Rukia rubbed her neck as she spoke, her eyes narrowing slightly as if she were accusing the orange haired teen of something.

"What? I can't dress nice when I go out?" Ichiru deadpanned. Although, what she had just said was true. On his way home from the shop, a random passerby in a drawn up hoodie had accidentally tripped and somehow managed to push the teen off the bridge and into the Karakura River below. Thankfully it wasn't a problem as he'd used Blut Vene to soften the impact. He saw the stranger running off as he swam back to shore, probably scared that he or she had accidentally killed someone. So when Ichiru got home, he'd quickly changed out of his wet T-shirt and jeans before taking a quick shower for good measure.

Then Shiro had proposed heading out to catch a movie, so the teen had thrown on a pair of dark jeans and and a clean blue band shirt. He would gone out with just that, but his Zanpakuto insisted that he wear some of the few accessories that he owned, saying that if he had them then he might as well use them. So now here he was, standing before his past life friends with a dragon printed dog tag around his neck, A silver chain hooked onto his studded belt, and a band bracelet on his left wrist while a silver bracelet with a fang charm wrapped around his right. Rukia processed what Ichiru said in response to her own words, and immediately a slight blush of embarrassment colored her pale cheeks. However, the midget decided to get angry instead. Tsundere much?

"Hey! I was just curious if you were meeting someone, idiot!" She yelled up at him. This caused a tick mark to appear on the teen's forehead.

"Then just say so! You don't have to interrogate me about my choice of clothes!" He retorted. The petite Shinigami fumed.

"Well excuse me for asking a question!" The two glared at each other, sparks practically flying between the two. The tense silence was soon broken by a giggle. Both Ichiru and Rukia turned to see Orihime giggling uncontrollably with a hand over her mouth. Uryu was looking away with a sly smirk as he pushed up his glasses, and even Chad seemed to be smiling.

"Now now, kiddos. Ichi-chan's got a ticket in his hand and if we hold him up, he'll miss his movie." Came a deep baritone. Ichiru stared in astonishment as the black cat sitting on Chad's shoulder leapt down and continued to speak as it approached him.

"What's the matter? Cat caught your tongue?" The orange haired stared into the cat's yellow eyes, swearing to himself that he'd seen those yellow eyes before, although they weren't quite as nice a golden color as Shiro's… Shaking that last thought away, Ichiru was glad he could keep certain things private from the albino and returned his thoughts to trying to place where he'd seen those eyes before as the cat waited patiently for a response.

 _ **'Yanno the answer is in its reiatsu right?'**_ Shiro asked, having fed up with the teen overthinking as usual. Ichiru immediately felt like facepalming himself at the obvious method. As soon as he read the cat's spiritual pressure, the answer was clear. He'd never gotten a chance to officially meet her before, but he'd seen her pop up at random times to speak with Urahara before disappearing again.

"Yoruichi-san?" The teen asked tentatively. He wondered if the dark-skinned lady was another non-employee who helps Urahara just like Rukia.

' _How the hell is she a cat with such a deep voice?'_ He asked Shiro, but the only response was what felt like a mental shrug in the back of his head. The orangette's thoughts were snatched back to the present by Yoruichi's deep chuckling.

"My you're good. Did you recognize my reiatsu?" She asked in an almost teasing manner. Before Ichiru could respond, a massive cloud poofed around the cat and slowly dissipated leaving a human Yoruichi… naked. The cat lady stood before the group in all her glory. Uyu turned beet red and had turned completely around, coughing into his hand while Chad had a light blush and was staring at his feet. Meanwhile, Ichiru simply frowned at the indecency.

 _'Is she always like this?'_ The teen asked his mental companion. _**'Yep.'**_ Was the bland response. Normally, Ichiru probably would have been flustered by the sudden show of boobs, but the sense of redundancy killed the embarrassment. He resisted the urge to sigh out loud as he calmly kept his eyes locked with Yoruichi, noticing that passersby didn't seem to pay attention to the naked lady in the middle of town and assumed that she was in spirit form. Meanwhile, the cat lady raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Oh? You're taking this awfully well." She spoke, pursing her lips. The orangette shook his head in turn. "If you're trying to embarrass me with the female anatomy, then you're out of luck."

"Aww!" She pouted, crossing her arms under her chest. "You're no fun!"

Uryu coughed loudly, bringing attention to himself. "Yoruichi-san, please." He spoke, still red faced with his eyes turned away. "You've had your fun now, but didn't you say that you had an errand to run?"

Yoruichi looked at the Quincy in surprised and snapped her fingers. "Oh right! Silly me." She grinned, and in another cloud puff, she was a cat once more. "It's was nice talking to you Ichi-chan!"

She called in a deep baritone before disappearing in an impressive flash of shunpo. Uryu, on the other hand, was shaking his head, the red color leaving his cheeks. "Honestly, it's a good thing Nobu wasn't here."

This statement caused a lightbulb to go off in Ichiru's head. "Ah! Where is Nobu anyways?" He asked, looking between the Quincy, Shinigami, and from what he could sense, two Fullbringers. Orihime was the one to answer, oh so merrily.

"Oh he's with Yuzu-chan! They're baking a cake together! Oh but I wonder what flavor they're doing? I hope it's red bean paste with pickles and coconut, or even…" The redhead rambled on, off in her own world as everyone turned a slight shade of green by her flavor suggestions. At least Ichiru now knew where the fire archer got his enthusiasm. Recovering from his nausea, Uryu pushed his glasses up and turned back to the orange haired teen. "By the way, I've been meaning to thank you for looking out for my son while we were away. I'm afraid my father has questionable methods on looking after a child."

The Quincy momentarily glared in the direction of the Karakura Hospital before turning his focus to the teen once more. "As thanks, would you like any lessons? You mentioned that as a Quincy, you don't have a bow, and I can help with that." Ichiru mused over the idea.

 _'Should I take up his offer?'_ He looked towards his Zanpakuto for guidance. ' _ **Ya don't have to if you don't want to.'**_ The teen was still indecisive after a minute of thinking and turned back to the older man. "Thanks for the offer. I'll think about it."

After receiving a nod from the Quincy, the orangette looked at a nearby city clock to check on the time and immediately did a double-take. "Shit! I'm gonna be late!" He cried before running to the entrance of the theatre. "I'll talk to you guys after the movie. Later!" He called over his shoulder before disappearing into the theatre.

* * *

The sun had already set and the city lights were turned on by the time Ichiru stepped out of the theatre. Thankfully, he'd only missed the trailers and was able to comfortably watch the entire movie with his alabaster friend.

' ** _Well that was fun!'_** Shiro cried, ecstatically in the orangette's head. ' _It would've been better if you didn't talk so much._ ' was the reply.

 _ **'Oh come on King! I only made a couple comments!'**_ The albino laughed, practically dancing along the skyscrapers. ' _True, I guess you weren't **as** bad as I thought you'd be.' _

_**'** **Why King, are you bullying your dear horse?'**_ The teen snorted at the idea. ' _Nah, I'm just putting my horse in his place.'_ He teased. The two bantered with each other as the teen patiently waited for the group consisting of Rukia, Orihime, and Chad, to come out of the theatre. He'd noticed their reiatsu enter the building a few minutes after him, no doubt having gone to see a movie as well. Several minutes passed, and the group finally walked out of the theatre, Rukia and Orihime looking the most pleased.

They joined up with Ichiru and they had a pleasant time of chatting for a good half hour or so. Apparently, they'd gone to see a movie about Chappy the Rabbit, whom was Rukia's most favorite thing of all time. The orange haired teen finally got a chance to get used to the other people. He already knew Rukia from work and appreciated her sense of independency. Orihime was certainly… strange, but she made up with her cheerfulness. Uryu was smart and reliable with information as he continually kept his wife's brain from straying too far, while Chad was, well, Chad.

 _'So these are my closest friends, huh?'_ Ichiru asked Shiro as he looked up at the cloudless city night sky with its few stars and crescent moon. ' _ **Eh. Most of your closest ones. Yer actually about to meet the last member of yer group. Actually, his timing's fucking hilarious.'**_

Hearing these words, Ichiru realized that there was a Shinigami's reiatsu headed their way, and from the looks of it, the Shinigami was in one of those gigai that he'd learned about from Urahara. Turning his head, he couldn't help but do a double take at the site that greeted him. Running down the sidewalk was a muscular guy that seemed to be in his twenties with tribal tattoos and cherry red hair tied into a ponytail that resembled a pineapple. He was also wearing a really outdated Hippie's outfit, complete with a rainbow tye-dye shirt, khaki bell bottoms, and a brown vest. A tiger-striped bandana was also tied around his head while a small black box was tucked under one arm.

"RUKIA!" The Pineapple-head called, drawing unnecessary attention to himself and raced right past Ichiru and straight towards the midget.

"Calm down Renji. It's your own fault for neglecting your paperwork, so don't complain if your trip to Karakura gets delayed." Said Rukia as she patted the newly named Renji on the arm. Then she walked right past him and began hugging Ichiru's left arm.

 ** _'What the FUCK?!'_ ** Shiro yelled in utter shock from the teen's inner world. The orangette, meanwhile, was speechless as through the two days that he'd know the midget, she did not come off as the hugging type. In fact, she was more likely to kick a guy than to hug him and the albino Zanpakuto was proving that this was indeed an anomaly. For a second, Renji looked like he wanted to protest, until he'd completely registered the teens face under his orange curtain of bangs, and thus, was left to gape in surprise.

"Renji, meet Kurokatu Ichiru. Ichiru, this is Abarai Renji." The petite figure introduced them, finally releasing the teen's arm to his relief. By now, the red pineapple finally snapped out of his stupor.

"Yo! Nice to meetcha Ichi!" The redhead grinned, holding out a hand, which the teen shook before looking at the time.

"Well, I'd love to stay and get to know you, but it's getting to be kinda late. Maybe I'll see you guys tomorrow and we can talk?" Ichiru suggested as he turned to leave, but his path was quickly blocked by both Shinigami.

"Sorry, but Urahara sent me a text and he needs your help." Rukia piped up grabbing his right arm.

"Old Geta-boushi told me that you were the new employee before I left. So this could get you a raise!" Renji stated before grabbing onto his left. Together, they began to drag the poor teen away. The orangette looked to the others in hopes of help, but Orihime and Uryu claimed that they needed to go pick up their son while Chad just silently stood there as Renji and Rukia dragged the oor teen to Kami knows where.

' ** _Cheer up. Ya still got me, and I can switch places with ya and act as King for a while if anything goes wrong.'_** Shiro tried to reassure the teen. Ichiru could feel him wrapping his reiatsu through their mindscape, sending waves of warmth to keep him calm.

' _Thanks.'_ The orange haired teen replied as he steeled himself for what's to come, feeling mildly better about being dragged off by a midget and a Hippie.

* * *

After several minutes of walking, the trio came to a stop in the middle of an empty Karakura Park. Renji stepped in front of the teen with his arms crossed.

"Urahara told me that there was a new Quincy in town by the name of Ichiru. Unless you know of another Quincy by that name, then he was talking about you, right?" He asked. When the teen nodded, he continued.

"Great! He told me to give this to you." Renji brought forth the black box he was carrying and opened the top to reveal a syringe with a two-inch needle and filled with glowing green liquid.

"It's for a hollow." Explained Rukia. She was currently out of her gigai, which was off playing in a patch of flowers. Her sleeveless Captain's Haori proudly showed off the symbol of Squad 13 as the white fabric moved with the breeze. She grabbed the syringe from the box and carefully held it out to Ichiru.

"Urahara-san wants you to test this formula out for him. This is also a test to see if you can handle a wider range of jobs." She stated. "All you have to do is inject this into that hollow that we drew out earlier." The Captain pointed across the park. Peering in that direction, Ichiru spotted a giant Hollow that resembled an elephant, illuminated by the moon as it lumbered across the grass in the empty park.

"Why me?!" Ichiru asked, mildly panicked. "I can only use Blut Vene. One of you is a Shinigami Captain, so you'd have no problem getting in and out."

Rukia shook her head. "First of all, Renji is a Captain too. Second, you're the one who works for Urahara, not us. We just help out sometimes. Third, if you can handle this, then he can give your more important jobs as well as a raise."

"Also, if anything happens, we've got your back." Renji added with a grin. The orangette shook his head in disbelief.

' _ **Pineapple's smart enough to be a captain?'**_ That seemed to be the only thing that concerned the pale Zanpakuto spirit. Sighing, Ichiru grabbed the syringe from Rukia and turned towards the hollow, Blut Vene glowing beneath his skin.

' _Why me?_ ' He thought, hoping Shiro had a n answer, but none came. Ichiru glared at the hulking elephant hollow. Moonlight shining down along with city lights as he gripped the glowing green filled syringe.

' _ **Ya haven't got all day Ichi.**_ ' Shiro spoke from their inner world after a few minutes of silence. ' ** _Just get it over with and you can go home already._** ' He stated, trying to urge the teen to at least do something. With one last look at Rukia and Renji. Ichiru raced across the grass and towards the hollow. The elephant had its back to the teen, so he sped up to its flank and plunged the needle into its side. Squeezing the trigger, he successfully injected the green concoction, victory practically throwing a party in his head. However, that victory was short lived as whatever Urahara had created was clearly painful as the hollow immediately reared onto its hind legs and released an echoing roar of damnation.

The creature landed hard on its front feet, turning slightly and kicked backwards in an attempt to crush the teen. Raising his arms up, the orangette managed to successfully absorb the impact and latched onto the beast's back legs before shoving it to the side, causing the elephant to turn and face him in order to keep its balance centered. Unfortunately, he'd completely forgotten about the elephant's trunk and found the appendage wrapped around his waist before he was picked up and tossed into a nearby tree. All, of his Blut Vene was focused on his arms and legs, so Ichiru was helpless as his skull crashed into a tree trunk, ripping a cry of pain from his throat as he fell limp to the ground. The teen watched from where he lay as the green liquid finally activated, causing the hollow to disperse in a shower of harmless spirit particles.

He could see Renji running towards him in worry. Rukia was already standing over him, but she seemed to be looking up at someone as she kneeled down to turn the orange haired teen onto his back and cradled his head in her petite arms. The world was slowly fading to black as his head throbbed painfully, no doubt starting to bruise with an impressive bump. The last thing Ichiru registered before his consciousness slipped away completely, was the sensation of falling before being caught by a pair of arms that held him in a comforting embrace. A blanket of warmth wrapped around his soul.

* * *

 **Yay! I finally updated my story! By the way, if you noticed, based on the Deadpool movie's release date, this story takes place in 2023. Why? Because when search up the dates of events in the manga and do some math with the years added on in this Fanfiction, you just happen to end up with the year 2023. So, I might add in something to make the year a bit futuristic, but it's gonna be something small, like a new phone or an automatic feature in, let's say, a cash register. So don't get your hopes up.**

 **Anyways, see ya.**

* * *

 ***** ** _A wild Ichiru appears_** *****

 **Ichiru:** *Bashes the author's head in*

 **Verteller:** "OW! I need that!"

 **Ichiru:** "THAT"S FOR TAKING SO DAMN LONG!"

 **Verteller:** "It's not my fault! My friend was holding my journal hostage, and I need the journal since that's where I wrote it!"

 **Ichiru:** "It's still your fault for letting it get taken to begin with!"

 **Verteller:** "But-"

 **Ichiru:** "No excuses! From now on, every Sunday is the final deadline for each chapter."

 **Verteller:** "But I'm a student. What if I get a lot of Homework?"

 **Ichiru:** *Smacks author upside the head* "Not my problem. Read and Review."

 **Verteller:** "What?"

 **Ichiru:** "I'm asking the readers to read and review."

 **Verteller:** "But they're already at the end segment, so they already read it. Plus, I'm pretty sure that they'll review if they want to."

 **Ichiru:** *shrugs* "It's what a lot of other writers say at the end of each chapter."

 **Verteller:** "Whatever... Is that why you suddenly popped up?"

 **Ichiru:** "Maybe..."


	10. Da Fluffies!

**Hey, I finally got to a double digit chapter. Thank you, to everyone whose been supporting my story so far.**

* * *

 _Special shout out to both_ **Enjali** _and_ **NekoLover90** _for leaving reviews for most of the chapters so far. Thanks guys!_

* * *

Chapter 10

 _"Got you!" Ichiru exclaimed triumphantly as he gripped a squirming albino in a headlock with his right arm. Shiro smirked, reached behind the teen grabbing onto the hood of his ocean blue hoodie, and yanked it down, causing the orangette to momentarily loosen his grip. Immediately, the pale replica slipped out of Ichiru's grasp before spinning around and ramming his left knee into the teen's gut, causing him to double over and gasp in pain. This lapse in concentration allowed Shiro to slip behind him as he was still bent over and viciously kicked him in the back, forcing him to fall to his knees. Shiro roughly grabbed Ichiru by his long orange hair, causing him to hiss, and pulled back harshly so that their eyes could meet._

 _**"Che. Ya couldn't even last 5 minutes, there's stuff just begging to drag you down, and if you can only see what's in front of ya, then don't ya dare get cocky"** The orange haired teen gulped as the words stung his chest. He took a shaky breath as kept his eyes locked onto the other's burning gold pools, not daring to even blink. The albino sneered as he bent over to speak into the orangette's left ear._

 _**"** **I guess if ya can't handle this, then I guess I shouldn't bother bringing ya in here. Maybe I** **should** **take yer place as King and let ya rot in here for awhile."** Ichiru felt his heart drop at the threat. This was their first spar, so why was Shiro being so dead serious? Was he only helping out earlier because he thought the teen was strong only to be having second thoughts? Was he truly that weak? He clenched his teeth in anger at the last thought, refusing to let things end like this._

'You want a King? I'll show you a King!' _His thoughts raged as he drove his left elbow into the albino's face, forcing the pale replica to release his hair. Using this opening, the orange haired teen leaped up and delivered a roundhouse kick to his opponent's abdomen, feeling satisfaction when Shiro backed up to catch his breathe and glad that he wore his grey sweat pants, before entering his inner world, for a wider range of movement, but remained alert to the albino's actions. In a heartbeat, Shiro rushed forward, aiming to uppercut the orangette, but he was ready. As soon as the porcelain white limb came into range, Ichiru grabbed onto the arm and sidestepped, wrenching it behind the albino's back as his momentum propelled him past the teen. With a swift kick, Shiro's feet were swept out from beneath him, leaving Shiro to land onto the side of the building, sprawled on his stomach._

 _The pale replica flipped himself around as he tried to get up to face the teen again, but Ichiru was already onto him. Quickly pouncing, the orangette straddled Shiro's waist while simultaneously grabbing both of his pale wrists and slamming them against the side of the skyscraper, right above stark white hair and pinning the albino down. The pale man squirmed, failing to free his wrists from the unrelenting teen._

 _"Why the hell would you leave me here to rot?!" Ichiru demanded in outrage. However, Shiro simply bust into a fit of psychotic laughter, causing the teen to grit his teeth in frustration._

 _ **"Now why would I ever do that?"** Shiro asked, oh so innocently, once he'd calmed down. The teen tightened his grip in frustration._

 _"YOU said you'd do that if I couldn't handle it!" The orangette spat, the feeling of betrayal slowly creeping up and his grip on the man below him loosened. However, the albino simply smirked. Freeing his right hand, he reached up and affectionately stroked long strands of sunset orange as cocoa eyes stared on in confusion._

 ** _"But you won, didn't you?"_**

* * *

"I really need to stop getting knocked out. Not that I don't like coming here." Ichiru groaned from the pain in his head as he peered at the the sideways skyscraper above him, blinking repeatedly to clear his dazed mind, the flashback from a week ago, before learning Zangetsu's true name, still fresh in his memory. Once again, he'd found himself lying on the side of a building in his inner world.

" **Unlike the last time, this was completely yer fault."** Shiro spoke up. The teen turned his head to see the Zanpakuto spirit sitting cross legged to his left, with his arms crossed and tucked out of sight in his long sleeves. An amused smirk and raised eyebrow gracing his face. **"Ya need glasses or something?"**

Ichiru rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, I need to be aware of my opponent and my surroundings." He grumbled, but still had a small smile of amusement. "That tree gave me a big enough lecture when it hit me on the head."

 **"That tree has better defense than you since it's still standing! Meanwhile, yer passed out ass is getting carried to Urahara's like a damsel in distress."** Shiro laughed. The teen remained silent as he stared with narrowed eyes at the albino. After a minute or so, he finally sat up, adjusting the black sword on his back, and turned to face Shiro before addressing the albino, who was now quietly observing the orangette in curiosity.

"Why do you do that? The insults I mean." Ichiru asked, tilting his head to the side. "I know you're telling me what I'm doing wrong and how to get better, but do you have to say it through insults?"

The pale Zanpakuto hummed as he considered the question. **"Suppose I could tell ya the method to my madness."** His brilliant gold eyes locked onto bold chocolate ones.

 **"The way I see it, you could be the most powerful person in the entire universe, but that strength is pointless if ya have a fragile mind."** He explained. Ichiru turned his eyes to the sideways clouds, smiling warmly as he considered this logic adding one more item to his list of things that he's grateful to Shiro for.

 **"Yer doing it again."**

Startled, the teen whipped his head around, only to find that the Zanpakuto spirit had scooted closer and was leaning forward so that their faces were several inches apart. **"I keep catching you smiling off into space for the past five days or so since ya started yer job. What's going on?"**

"What? You having second thoughts about teaching me to keep my thinking to myself?" The orangette smirked teasingly. However, he knew what Shiro was referring to and felt guilty for keeping it hidden. Before, he'd kept the subtle thoughts and fluttering feelings, shoved into the very back of his mind, but when he saw the sleeping albino's content smile in that strange house/building five days ago, he began to second guess himself. So, he began focusing his thoughts on work and training as much as possible in the living realm and only let his thoughts maul over his feelings whilst in his inner world where Shiro couldn't read his mind. Now, it seems like it's time he actually did something.

 **"It's not that."** The Zanpakuto spirit spoke up as he leaned back, his watery voice snapping the teen's thoughts back to reality. **"Something's been bothering you, and you've managed to keep your thoughts hidden by bombarding me with thinking about work and shit."** He frowned, as if trying to remember something.

"Sorry. I've just been thinking… about someone." Ichiru laughed sheepishly. This caused the albino to stare in surprise.

 **"Someone? Wait, do you mean like… yer in love?"** The teen looked away in embarrassment, nodding in confirmation as he fiddled with the ebony trench knife strapped to his hip.

 **"Is it Rukia?"** Now it was the orangette's turn to be shocked.

"What makes you say that?" He sputtered. Shiro frowned as he pulled his right arm out of his sleeves to scratch the back of his head. **"Well, you started withdrawing on the same day you began getting to know her. Plus, I'm pretty sure she might like you."**

"Really? With the blushing and Tsundere attitude, I thought she hated me." Ichiru laughed. The albino cocked an eyebrow and scooted closer to be right next to the orange haired teen.

 **"So, are you gonna answer me?"** He asked, getting more and more confused. The teen saw the confusion and proceeded to burst into laughter, earning him an irritated growl. Smiling, Ichiru leaned closer to the zanpakuto spirit, as if he were going to whisper something. Suddenly, he grabbed both of Shiro's upper arms to keep him still, and crashed his lips against pale petal ones. The kiss was soft and sweet, like vanilla, as vibrant, multicolored fireworks exploded in the inner world's sky, reflecting on its King's answer.

"Still think I like Rukia like that?" Ichiru chuckled as he pulled away. Shiro Zangetsu was frozen, gold on black eyes wide with shock, his brain short circuiting as a pink blush dusted his pale cheeks. Gradually, shock melted into the warmest smile that the orangette had ever seen. There was no cockiness, no mischief, and no sadness, only pure joy and affection. Shiro reached forward and embraced his King, burying his face into the teen's right shoulder.

 **"As my only King, that means a lot yanno? Thank you."** He mumbled. Ichiru wrapped his arms around the albino's shoulders, mindful of the ivory Khyber sword strapped to his back, and nuzzled into snowy white hair to return his affection. He could feel Shiro's content reiatsu radiating from the pale figure as he took in the scent of fresh rain and spice. After a minute of serene silence, the two eventually broke the hug and pulled away.

"So, is this ok? Even though we share the same soul?" The teen asked gingerly, furrowing his eyebrows behind a curtain of orange bangs. The pale spirit chuckled, his usual insane smirk slowly returning to his face.

 **"Of course it is, Ichi! All Zanpakuto yearn for recognition from their Shinigami counterparts, but to develope a relationship that transcends the limits of a simple partnership of coexistence? Besides, who cares what others think?"** Shiro turned his face to the side, eyes staring off into the distance in a manner that Ichiru recognized as a remembrance of nostalgia, but seemed much more pleasant than all of the other times that the orangette had witnessed. Any other time, only pain and loneliness flashed through bright gold despite the ever present grin of insanity that graced the albino's face. The more the teen saw this, after each spar, lesson, or lecture, the more definite he felt about about the next decision he needed to make. The one that's been hanging over his head since the day he learned Zangetsu's true name.

"I don't want my old memories back." He blurted out. Shiro looked up, but remained silent as he nodded in understanding. The orangette laughed sheepishly. "To be honest, I want to get to know my friends the old fashioned way. I'd feel like I'm cheating by just suddenly remembering everything about them."

The pale Zanpakuto spirit burst into laughed psychotically. **"Ha! You've been gone for 20 years, King. You'd still have to catch up with what's happened in that time, regardless if you got yer memories back or not!"** He snickered.

"Maybe, but they sure do stick out, huh?" The teen commented as he removed the ebony swords from his hip and back before placing the to the side and laying back onto the side of the skyscraper.

"They're all so different, yet they seem to go together like birds of a feather." He mused, remembering the group discussion he had with them over random topics just an hour or so ago outside the movie theatre.

 **"Don't forget that Geta-boushi! He means well, but the bastard's a bit too smart for everyone else's sanity."** Shiro added as he crawled up to the orangette's right side and laid down on his stomach, resting his chin on top of crossed arms.

 **"Pretty sure he's smart enough to figure out how we get Wi-Fi in here."** Ichiru stared in bafflement at the notion.

"Of all the things you could bring up, that's the one you chose?"

 **"Yep."**

"Why am I not surprised?"

 **"Cuz ya know me too well."**

"Of course." The teen smirked, rolling his eyes in amused annoyance.

 **"So, what are you going to do about Rukia?"** Ichiru paused at the question. He honestly wasn't sure since he currently doesn't know her as much as he probably did in the past. So far, she'd only shown signs of possible attraction with blushing, avoiding eye contact, and hugs, but those could all be justified by other reasons. Like blushing out of embarrassment when she starts to bicker with the teen on impulse. If anything, it could just be a fluke and both he and Shiro were overthinking things.

"I won't do anything for now. Let's just wait and see what happens." Decided the orange haired teen. This caused the albino to snicker in a knowing manner.

 **"That's so like you."** The Zanpakuto exclaimed. When Ichiru raised an eyebrow in quiet questioning, he decided to elaborate through actions. He was bored anyways. Leaping to his feet, the albino whipped out his giant ivory Khyber sword and swung it in a downward arc. Instantly, the teen rolls to the left and onto his hands and feet, dodging the blade aimed for his head.

Chocolate eyes narrowed as the orangette rolled forward, grabbing the ebony trench knife in his left hand, and brought it up just in time to block the oncoming Khyber sword. Reaching behind him, Ichiru attempted to grab his own ebony Khyber sword, only to get kicked in the side, tossing him towards the skyscraper to his left. Flipping in midair, the teen flew towards the building's side feet first, bending his knees once he reached the window and used his given momentum to propel himself back. Halfway back, he crashed into the albino who'd shunpoed after him. Their trench knives locked together as they pushed against each other, the reishi of the inner world supporting them as they stood suspended in the air, reiatsu slowly rising and dancing together.

Ichiru noted, as he parried his laughing pale counterpart, that while his black Khyber sword lay on the sideways skyscraper below them, right where he'd left it, Shiro's alabaster copy was left to lay right next to it and keeping the two combatants on an even playing field. Leaping away, they broke bladed contact before the inverted reflection threw his bleached trench knife straight towards the tangerine teen's face. Startled, the orangette deflected the snowy projectile with his own obsidian blade. This created just the opening the albino needed as he lunged forward in a burst of shunpo and grabbed onto his King's hand, ripping the short sword from his grasp. The two let the inner world's twisted gravity as they tumbled down, wrestling each other as the teen desperately tried to grab his falling blade.

Finally deciding to disregard the trench knife, Ichiru viciously shoved Shiro to an arm's length away from him before harshly grabbing the collar of the Zanpakuto spirit's white Shihakusho and yanked him forward. Flipping their positions, the duo crashed into the side of the skyscraper below them in the tilted gravity with the albino taking the brunt of the impact in a cloud of debris. Loud, watery laughter reverberated throughout the hollow inner world, as Ichiru breathed heavily whilst his adrenaline gradually died down and the dust settled. The teen sat up, straddling Shiro's waist as he lay sprawled on his back, laughing his ass off. A spiderweb of cracks that ran across the surface of the sideways, originating where the pair lay, was slowly repairing itself as the two fought to catch their breaths.

 **"Did you understand what I meant?"** Shiro panted as he propped himself up on his elbows. Ichiru smirked as he peered down at the albino through a curtain of orange.

"Maybe, but why don't you tell me, oh wise one?" He asked teasingly as he got off of Shiro to sit cross-legged to his right. The fair-skinned male scoffed as he sat up completely, dusting the debris out of his short snowy hair.

 **"You never make plans for anything. When something happens, you react accordingly, but can easily be caught off guard. Like when I suddenly threw my knife at you only to get into close to steal yours."** He tried to elaborate, earning a nod from the teen.

"Alright, but I'm pretty sure you brought this up just so you could have an excuse to spar." The orangette scowled at the hollowfied Zanpakuto spirit, who burst into yet another round of double-toned laughter, confirming the teen's suspicions.

 **"Yeah. Anyways, your body is currently sleeping at the shoten. You wanna head back now?"** Shiro questioned, but the tangerine teen snorted at the suggestion.

"They set me up with that so called 'test'. Waiting a few more minutes won't kill them." He grumbled. Silence seeped into the realm as the two sat, plagued by private thoughts. Ichiru stole several glances at his alabaster counterpart, who was unusually quiet and staring off into space. He wondered if Shiro actually felt the same way he did, or if he only showed affection because he was bound as a Zanpakuto. He'd mentioned that all Zanpakuto yearn for recognition, but is love beyond the boundary going too far? Plus, he was a hollowfied Zanpakuto and doesn't exactly follow all the rules, so how does it apply to him?

 **"Hey."** Yanked away from his thoughts, the orangette snapped his head up to find that Shiro had crawled closer to him. His porcelain white face was inches from his own with those hypnotizing gold eyes swimming in obsidian. Ichiru blinked and looked away, feeling his heart beat faster as a faint blush tinted tan cheeks. A stark white hand reached forward, grasping the teen's chin and turned his face so their eyes could meet. Concern swirling in molten gold.

 **"Now why're you getting all shy me?"** The watery echo asked smoothly.

"Are you sure you're ok with… how I feel towards you?" Ichiru asked, feeling shame clawing at his chest. As cliche as it sounds, he just couldn't muster up the courage to say that single word. He'd felt so confident admitting his feelings earlier, even going as far as to boldly give his first kiss to Shiro, but now, self-doubt was twisting him into nervous knots. A soft chuckle escape the albino as he moved the hand gripping the teen's chin, up to cup the side of his face.

 **"Be honest. Do you want me?"** Chocolate eyes stared hesitantly into gold, but determination clawed its way to the surface.

"Only if you want me." He answered with confidence. With that, pale petal lips pressed against his own rosy ones. Eyes closed, the two pressed against each other with surprising gentleness as they wrapped each other in enveloping warm embrace. Colorful fireworks, once again burst in silent celebration for the couple in the sideways sky.

"I love you." Ichiru whispered once they broke for air, relief sweeping through his soul.

 **"As sappy as it sounds, I love you too."** Shiro Zangetsu smirked while his lover merely rolled his eyes. The albino adjusted himself to sit comfortably in his counterpart's lap, draping his arms around a tan neck, and rested his chin on the right shoulder, without the red-scaled shoulder pad. The orangette, in turn, wrapped his arms around the pale spirit's torso to keep him secured in place.

 **"Kurosaki Ichigo."** The teen looked up in surprise as the unknown, yet familiar name was spoken. Sensing the confusion, Shiro continued.

 **"Ichigo was your old name. It means ' _number one protector'_** **.** " The watery echo voiced with a subtle tinge of serenity **.** **"Thought you'd like to know."**

Ichiru smiled in gratitude as he placed his forehead onto a clothed shoulder, emotions of elation coursing through his blood by his counterpart's acceptance.

"Thank you."

* * *

 **Finally! They're a couple now! Did I do ok? Or was it a bit rushed? Let me know!**

* * *

 **Link to a cute picture of Ichiru and Shiro Zan: (Copy and paste this into a web search and remove the spaces)**

fav . me / dabhffc

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 **Ichiru:** ...

 **Verteller:** ...

 **Ichiru:** ...

 **Verteller:** Why are you still here?

 **Ichiru:** *shrugs*

 **Shiro:** Yes! He's mine now!

 **Verteller:** ... When did you get here?

 **Shiro:** *snicker* That's my secret.

 **Ichiru:** Review?


	11. Two or One?

**YES! Sweet sweet updates. Don't you agree? Sorry about being so late with this chapter.**

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Chapter 11

Ichiru blinked several times as he woke up to find himself lying on a white futon in what he can only assume was a spare room in the back of the Urahara Shoten. He could feel the wooden floor through the thin comforter and hear muffled noises through the sliding paper screens to his left. The reiatsu signatures of Urahara, Yoruichi, Rukia, Renji, Uryu, Chad, and Orihime permeated through the thin paper. Sitting up, the orange haired teen ran a hand through his shoulder-length hair as he grumbled under his breath. He wanted to stay with Shiro just a little longer, but he needed to figure out what Urahara really wants and then get himself home.

Standing up and leaving the futon, the teen trudged over to the closed screen, keeping his reiatsu masked, and leaned in close to eavesdrop on the conversation. Rukia's voice lashed out in irritation.

"Give us a straight answer! Can you get them back?" She spoke.

"Of course, of course! If he wants them that is." That was Urahara.

"Why wouldn't he?" Renji.

"Ano… maybe he doesn't like us now?" Sounds like Orihime.

"I highly doubt that's the case." As perceptive as ever Uryu. A soft grunt indicated Chad's agreement.

"Remember, he's Ichiru now and can be considered a separate person. Since he's had a completely new upbringing, his moral standings are probably different as well as his preferences. So, Ichiru may not care for memories of the past." Explained the Shopkeeper. Now the orange haired teen knew what they wanted, although he'd had a pretty good idea before, when, right before he left his inner world, Shiro had mentioned that the Geta-boushi had taken some reiatsu samples. Suddenly, Rukia quietly spoke up, so the teen had to strain his ears to make out what she said through the screen door. Her voice seemed tense, as if she were trying to keep her frustration in check.

"I've been talking with him all week and he's the same! He's still the same hot-headed fool who cares about others as before." Hissed the petite Shinigami Captain.

"She has a point." Came a deep baritone. Ichiru could tell that it was Yoruichi and she was clearly in her cat form. "I checked out his old hometown like you asked."

The orangette raised an eyebrow in curiosity, shifting to sit more comfortably on his spot behind the screen door as the feline continued to speak in the next room. "The local spirits mentioned that he has constantly helped them out with evading the hollows. Also, he apparently isn't very close to his parents nor does he have any friends as people avoided him in general."

Ichiru blinked at the in depth research done on his childhood, mildly disturbed by the group's apparent obsession with him. Not only that, but he did wonder why people avoided him, even though he'd been careful to conceal his ability to interact with the dead.

 ** _'It's cuz ya didn't hide yer ability very well. When yer running around, trying to avoid hollows, there've been people nearby to witness you fleeing from nothing.'_ ** Shiro piped up in amusement as gold on ebony eyes observed the sideways sky from where he stood in the inner world. The teen laughed sheepishly over their mental link as he returned his attention back to eavesdropping on the group, just in time to hear Orihime rambling. According to her, people wanted to be friends, but couldn't because of an evil underground organization of Yakuza hollows who ate cake… or did she say Yakuza cupcakes who ate hollows? The orangette wasn't sure and he honestly didn't want to know. He could hear Yoruichi calmly persuade the bubbly woman that the theory was highly unlikely.

"Regardless, is his past life truly better than this life?" Asked Uryu. The room fell dead silent as the group withdrew themselves, contemplating memories of the past. Having heard enough, Ichiru decided to join in and stood up, slamming open the screen door, startling everyone except Urahara. The shopkeeper merely smiled under the shade of his striped bucket hat, waving his infernal fan in the teen's direction.

"Ah, Kurokatu-san! Finally awake, hmm?" The teen scowled at the shady man through his orange bangs. Closing the screen door as he sat on the tatami mat near the coffee table, he scanned the room taking everyone in. Rukia was sitting at the low coffee table in her spirit form with a cup of tea clutched in her small hands with a feline Yoruichi lounging in front of her, the cat lady's silky black tail lazily waving back and forth. Orihime was sitting to the midget's right with another cup of tea set in front of her on the table. The bubbly woman was leaning on her husband's shoulder as Uryu calmly sipped his own cup of tea while Chad quietly sat behind them, resting his back up against the wall.

Urahara was across from Rukia, casually fanning himself, and Renji was seated to his right, his sleeveless Captain's Haori flared around him as proof of his status. Crossing his arms, the teen sighed in irritation. "If you wanted to know if I was the reincarnation of Kurosaki Ichigo, you could've just asked. Would've saved me the pain of getting tossed at a tree."

To emphasis his point, he rubbed the back of his head where the tree trunk had got him. Meanwhile, the group, including Urahara, gaped in shock. Ichiru couldn't help but snicker at their faces, a watery laughter echoed his amusement from within his mindscape. The group, hearing his snickers, quickly tried to compose themselves. Urahara adjusted his striped bucket hat, while Uryu coughed into his fist, and Rukia took a large gulp of tea to calm her nerves. Chad was being Chad, Orihime was blushing into her hand, Renji rubbed the back of his neck, while Yoruichi attempted to play it off by cleaning her paw. After a moment of awkward silence, Rukia cleared her throat to address the orangette with what was clearly on everyone's mind.

"So you _do_ remember your past?" She asked, sounding hopeful. Unfortunately, the teen shook his head. "Not really. Before you ask, what I do know is that I'm a hybrid and I can recall vague feelings and some of my power."

"Indeed?" Replied the shady shopkeeper from behind his mask. "Then how do you recognize your old name, or the fact that you're the reincarnation of our dear friend?" He inquired.

"Zangetsu told me." The teen stated bluntly. Intrigued, Urahara quickly reached into one of his wide sleeves, pulled out a wooden plaque, and tossed it straight at the orangette. Ichiru tried to dodge, but the object smacked him square in the face. Immediately, he felt himself gliding backwards, the feeling of the item suddenly vanishing as he felt something heavy land in his lap. Looking down, the teen stared in shock as he found his body, unconscious, having fallen backwards with the wooden badge resting on its face. A skull-like pattern decorated the object's surface. Looking down at his current self, he found that, rather than wearing his blue band shirt, jeans, and accessories that he'd gone out in, he was know wearing his black uniform from his inner world, alongside his dual Zanpakuto.

 ** _'Huh… Was kinda wondering if you could still do that.'_** Shiro's voice echoed in the back of his head.

 _'DON'T YOU HAVE TO BE DEAD TO BE A SHINIGAMI SPIRIT?!'_ Ichiru practically shrieked over their mental link. "Did you just kill me?! With a wooden… whatever this is?!" The teen asked out loud, desperately trying not to freak out as he suspiciously poked at the item and pushed it off of his empty body's face. Urahara burst into childish giggles behind his fan.

"No worries!" Said Urahara as he fought to control his snickers. "That would be a Substitute Shinigami Badge. It simply removed your spirit form from your body without killing you. That way, you can just slip back into your body as if nothing ever happened."

Still scowling, Ichiru gently lifted his empty body up into a sitting position and leaned forward. He found it strange yet, familiar to feel the sensation of his soul being sucked into and merging with a vessel. Blinking his chocolate eyes to adjust to the sudden change of perspective, the teen looked down at his lap where the badge had fallen and picked it up. Holding it in his hand, he had the urge to press it against his chest, as if he'd done it a thousand times and more. Although, considering his situation, he probably had.

"Keep it!" Rukia bursted out suddenly. "It's yours anyways. Plus it's -uh- it's more convenient than only having Blut Vene…"

The petite Shinigami trailed off, blushing lightly. Ichiru noticed Renji scowl slightly at her, noting the look of hurt in his eyes, but chose not to comment, having an idea of what might be happening.

"S-so!" Orihime piped up before silence could settle in, immediately lightening the atmosphere. "What do we call you?"

She smiled brightly before suddenly turning red, a look of distress crossing her face. "Ah! That came out wrong! I mean, I know you're Kurokatu Ichiru-kun, but do we keep calling you that, or would you prefer us using your old name?" She ranted before the blush immediately disappeared and she looked to the side, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Then again, that might be awkward since you're used to being called Kurokatu-kun…"

As the copper-red head trailed off, Ichiru fiddled with the Shinigami badge as he pondered the question. 'What do you think?' He asked Shiro.

 _ **'I don't care.'**_ Came the the reply. ' ** _To me, it doesn't matter what name you go by. You'll still be my King no matter what. Besides, both names sound really similar.'_**

The orange haired teen smiled, looking up to see everyone waiting for an answer expectantly. "I don't really mind. So, if you want, you can call me Ichigo."

* * *

"Whoa! Slow down!" The newly named Ichigo cried out as he was tugged down the sidewalk. Upon making his decision, Rukia thought it'd be a good idea to become reaquainted with his old family, especially since he's already refriending his old friends, and decided to do it now since it was only around 8pm. A loud snicker cut the teen off from making another protest. Rukia, who was pulling him along by his right arm, looked at him from over her shoulder as she spoke. "You can stop complaining now, we're already here."

Looking up, the orangette found himself standing before a small clinic attached to a house. Seeing the house, the teen found himself freeze in place, a sense of loss bubbling in his gut as time seemed to slow down. He could hear Orihime, who'd tagged along with Chad, Renji, and Uryu, ask him if he was okay, but her voice seemed faded and far away. Remembering what happened at the Urahara Shoten, Ichigo began to panic internally, not wanting to face the empty pain that had torn its way through his soul again.

 __ _ **'Ichi.'**_ The teen flinched at the loudness of the voice in this frozen pocket of time. ' _ **It's alright King. I reinforced the barrier on your past life, so you'll be fine.'**_

' _Thanks. Sorry about this.'_ The teen blinked several times as his perception of time began to slowly speed back up to normal.

 _ **'It wasn't your fault. Just remember, walk forward, don't hold back. Hesitate, you will age. Retreat, you will die.'**_ Shiro reassured him. ' _ **I'm here for ya.'**_

Ichigo hummed in acknowledgement as his mind finally returned to the present. Turning to his friends, he gave a sheepish smile.

"Yeah, I'm okay." He answered Orihime, not missing a beat in real time so the group didn't notice his temporary panic and inner exchange of words. Returning his attention to the clinic, he released a sigh, running a hand through his shoulder-length orange hair before straightening up and approached the building. The group walked around to the side, where the front door to the living quarters was located. Suddenly, as soon as Ichigo, with the group in tow, was a few feet from it, the entryway burst open as a large blur leaped out, startling the poor teen. The orangette immediately sidestepped the oncoming projectile and watched it in disbelief as it crashed into the ground with an audible crack of concrete.

"MY SON! CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING REBO~RN!" The blur stood up from where it was sprawled on the concrete to reveal a man with short spiky black hair that was brushed forward, a stubble, and a doctor's coat. Ichigo stared at the man with a goofy smile, remembering him as 'Old Man Isshin' from when Nobu had first introduced him to the group. Isshin laughed loudly, fists at his hips as he stood like some sort of meat head hero, his boisterous tone slowly beginning to annoy the orange haired teen.

"NO WORRIES! URAHARA TOLD ME ALL ABOUT IT!" The man then leaped forward, arms stretched forward and lips puckered, demanding hugs and kisses has he continued. "I DON'T MIND IF YOU FORGOT! COME EMBRACE DADDY'S MANLY BOSOM!"

Several tick marks popped up on the teens forehead as he raised his leg, allowing Isshin's face to crash into the bottom of his Black converse, before slamming the man back into the concrete with his foot. "Dammit Old Man! Reincarnation or not, I'm still a different person! You could at least wait before introducing me to your weirdness!" The orangette growled as he ground his heel into his, supposed, father's face, burying the man deeper into the concrete. Rukia, Orihime, Uryu, Renji, and Chad all sweat dropped at the spectacle.

"He's got a point Goat-Face. You can just spring these kinds of things onto someone you just met." Ichigo halted his grinding and looked up to see a lady with black eyes and high pony tail, wearing a loose blue T-shirt and shorts leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed. A pair of purple slippers adorned her feet, and a look of boredom was drawn on her face. "Hey Ichiru. Name's Kurosaki Karin. Goat-chin there is my dad… unfortunately…"

"KARI~N!" Isshin suddenly leaped up from under the orange haired teen's foot knocking him off balance momentarily. The man was bawling large streams of tears as he hugged one of the Karin's legs. "WHY ARE YOU SO MEAN TO DADDY!?"

"Dad! Stop being rude! Could you please come set the table?" A delicate voice called from inside the house. On cue, Karin proceeded to kick her father, who continued to cry about abusive children, through the door, grumbling about useless old men. Walking in after him, she beckoned the group to enter with a casual wave over her shoulder. Steeling himself for the oncoming awkwardness, Ichigo followed with the rest of the group closely at his heels, making sure to leave his shoes at the entrance. Inside, the teen found that the kitchen, living room, and dining room were all in one large space, whilst the kitchen was only separated from rest of the area by a sink countertop and tile floor in contrast to the rest of the room's wooden floor.

In the kitchen was a several weeks' pregnant woman with light blonde hair that reached the small of her back with a strawberry clip above her right ear and brown eyes. A sunny yellow apron was neatly worn over a pastel pink dress with sleeves that reached her elbows. She stood, in mint green slippers, on top of a stool and over the stove, stirring a large pot that emanated the delicious smell of curry throughout the entire room. Pausing in her work, she turned around and smiled warmly. "Hello Kurokatu-kun! I'm Yuzu, Karin's twin sister. Have a seat, please and don't mind Jinta, he's just shy."

"Am not!" A man with slicked back red hair, a similar crimson shade to Renji's, popped up from behind the large purple corner couch in the living room area. He was wearing a navy blue tee with the Urahara Shoten's logo and a pair of jeans with the ends folded up. "I was just - uh- cleaning under the couch!" Jinta protested, causing Yuzu to giggle before returning her attention to her pot of curry.

Ichigo watched as Jinta grumbled about cleaning before disappearing behind a door that led to the clinic area, probably going off to occupy himself with something. Surveying the room, the teen noticed that the others were seating themselves on the couch while Isshin began setting the table for four while Orihime helped out by setting up two more eating areas on the coffee table. Karin walked in from the Clinic area with two TV trays, followed by Jinta, who was carrying three more trays to be used. As soon as the two cleared away from the door, another, shorter figure burst into the room.

"Ichi-nii!" Nobu, in his usual yellow hoodie and khaki shorts, shouted with excitement as he crashed into the orangette, hugging the teen's waist. Ichigo couldn't help but smile and ruffle the young Fullbringer's hair in greeting. "Hey shorty."

Nobu released orangette's waist, staring up at him with a pout. "I'll get taller! Just wait!" He declared before bounding over to his dad a plopping down right next to the older archer at the end near the wall. Chuckling to himself, Ichigo looked over the room again, pondering on what he should do, considering the fact that table settings and dinner was already being handled. He considered sitting on the couch with the others, but seeing them acting so comfortable together made him feel even more awkward with the idea. Chad was comfortably sitting on the end of the couch near the dining table, watching some show called No Game No Life, while Uryu sat at the other end, squished between Rukia, who was kneeling on the couch with the skirt of her lavender spring dress neatly tucked under her legs, and Nobu. The Quincy was showing the two a sketchbook that, from what the teen could tell based on whenever Uryu flipped a page, a series of drawings of various outfits.

Meanwhile, Renji was sitting between Chad and Rukia, enjoying the show on TV while occasionally stealing glances at the petite Shinigami. Shifting uncomfortably on his feet, the orange haired teen looked to the other side of the room, just in time to see Yuzu turn around to give Jinta, who was washing something in the sink, a peck on the cheek. The redhead's face instantly turned as crimson as his own hair, leaving Ichigo to believe that Jinta is the father-to-be. Karin was laying out chopsticks while Orihime, who'd tied her hair up into a low ponytail with a red scrunchie, chatted about different possible food combinations with red bean paste. Isshin on the other hand was still bawling about having abusive children while plastering himself to a massive poster on a wall that feature a beautiful smiling woman with wavy light blonde hair tied in a ponytail, and 'Kurosaki Masaki' written beneath her face. Due to the uncanny similarities to Yuzu, the orangette could only assume that she was the mother… his former mother.

 __ _ **'Yanno ya can't just stand in the middle of the room until dinner time, right?'**_ Shiro's watery, double-toned voice spoke up.

' _My bad. I just never realized how different it is between just talking with people and actually sitting down and getting all cozy with them.'_ Ichigo sighed internally, immediately feeling better with someone to talk to. _'It's even stranger to think that in this very place, which I've never been before, I had grown up in, within another lifetime. Not to mention this place, especially that poster, gives me a feeling of nostalgia, but with no understanding of why.'_

 _ **'Ya can still choose to regain yer memories back. That option is still open to you.'**_ Responded the Zanpakuto spirit, but the orangette mentally shook his head. ' _No. I made my decision, and I plan to stick with it.'_

Shiro snickered at the expected answer, swinging his legs back and forth as he sat on the edge of a sideways skyscraper in the inner world, lounging with his ivory blades carefully set aside. The albino casually twirled a strawberry lollipop in his mouth as he observed the outer realm through the eyes of his king. _**'Alright, if ya won't mingle then at least explore the place. Ya see that door in front of ya that leads into a hallway?'**_

The orange haired teen looked forward, humming in acknowledgement that he did indeed see the door. Understanding what Shiro probably wanted, Ichigo walked forward, not noticing a pair of violet eyes shooting a concerned glance at him. In the hallway, the teen came across a set of stairs and found himself climbing them, a sense deja vu permeating the air. At the top step, he walked a few feet, only to stop before a closed door with a wooden plaque with the number fifteen painted on it in blue hanging on it. Suddenly, it hit Ichigo, that this house had the same layout as that strange building that Shiro was sleeping in. Curiosity struck and the orangette quickly turned the knob, swinging open the door into a dark room.

Taking tentative steps inside, he reached to the side until he found the light switch and flipped it on. The room was similar to Shiro's, with a simple bed tucked into the far corner, up against the wall, but had much more furniture, including a desk next to the bed and a small bookcase near the door. Walking further into the room, Ichigo could see that everything was cleaned up and neatly tucked away with not a speck of dust in sight. Turning to his right, he could see that the closet door wasn't closed and barricaded by chains, but was instead opened to the world. Walking closer, the teen peered into the small space, kneeling to observe the contents.

Inside was a small oak side table that was lovingly polished to a tender shine. On top was a small, simple white vase with an orange Gladiolous flower with red painting the tips of each tangerine petal, and next to the flower was a framed photograph of, well, Ichigo. Picking up the picture, the teen resituated himself so that he was sitting cross-legged in front of the closet as he observed the picture. In the photo, he could see a basic portrait of himself, (or was it a basic portrait of Ichigo?) with much shorter hair, a mirror image of Shiro's hair as he smiled at the camera, but creases between the eyebrows suggested constant scowling. The figure had his arms crossed, while wearing a purple long-sleeved shirt and appeared to be standing in front of the Karakura river.

Staring at the photo, the teen could feel Shiro's reiatsu wrap around him, pressing down as if the albino was leaning against his back with his porcelain arms hanging around his neck as gold on ebony eyes peered over his shoulder. However, the orangette knew that if he looked, he wouldn't find his pale lover outside of their mindscape. Instead, he simply returned the gesture of comfort by draping his own reiatsu like a blanket around the albino who continued to sit at the edge of a tilted building. _'Am I really the same person as Ichigo? Or does the identity of Ichiru make me a whole nother being?'_

 _ **'I can't answer that. Not a philosopher.'**_ The alabaster spirit replied with a sigh. ' _ **To me, you're the same. Same face, same personality, same soul, but that's just me. You'll always be my King regardless, so it's up to you if you want to be the same or different.'**_

Ichigo hummed in response as he returned the photograph back to it's place on the little side table. Standing up, he stretched, stomach growling as a call to dinner was heard from downstairs. Turning the lights off and closing the door, the teen left the room.

* * *

 **Fun Fact: **_Gladiolous flowers symbolize strength in character and is sometimes called the 'Sword Lily'._

 **Another Fun Fact: **_The average age of first time mothers is 30 in Japan._

 **Yet Another Fun Fact: **_If you do the math, both Yuzu and Karin are 33 in this fanfiction._

* * *

 **Ichigo:** Are you sure it was a good idea to change my name?

 **Verteller:** *shrugs* Who knows? At least now your not on that weird borderline between a Copyrighted character and an OC.

 **Shiro:** Does that even exist?

 **Verteller:** Not sure.

 **Shiro:** ...

 **Verteller:** ...

 **Ichigo:** ...Wait a minute...

 **Verteller:** ...?

 **Ichigo:** *kicks author in the gut*

 **Verteller:** ...oww...

 **Ichigo:** WHY DIDN'T YOU UPDATE ON TIME?!

 **Verteller:** Because life.

 **Shiro:** I don't see the problem. I mean the last two updates were posted really late and might as well be considered updated on Monday.

 **Ichigo:** Why aren't you on my side?!

 **Shiro:** Well somebody's gotta play Devil's advocate!

 **Verteller:** Besides, he's right.

 **Ichigo:** But you agreed to update every Sunday!

 **Verteller:** No I didn't. Go back to the end segment on chapter 9 if you don't believe me.

 **Ichigo:** I hate you.

 **Verteller:** Save the hate for later.

 **Ichigo:** ?

 **Shiro:** Why?

 **Verteller:** no~thing...

 **Ichigo & Shiro:** ...


	12. Flickering Blue

**To my readers who are seeing this as I'm still writing out this story, yes my posts are still inconsistent even though I said I was fixing it. For that I am deeply sorry and hope you enjoy reading this Fanfic regardless.**

* * *

Chapter 12

 _ **'Damn… I figured they'd be happy, but not** **that happy.'**_ Shiro mused as Ichigo tiredly stepped into his apartment. At dinner, the group had mostly asked questions about the teen's past, his education, his career choice, eccetera. Considering the fact that he was going to start College in a couple weeks, the orangette found morbid humor in the fact that he still didn't know what he wanted to do as a career choice. It doesn't help that his hobbies typically consist of him getting in fights with thugs over something dumb like his hair color or running around, saving plus souls from hollows. Although he did enjoy learning about the other's different quirks, the annoying fact that Isshin was apparently his trigger-happy alarm clock, the fact that Karin was a professional soccer player, and falling in love with Yuzu's cooking. Mmm… curry…

Kicking off his clothes, Ichigo hopped into the shower as he continued to ponder various things related to the dinner party. He was grateful that the others didn't recount tales centered around his past self as he was unsure how to handle such information, but he did find their mini-moments hilarious, like the fact Uryu always carries an extra cape for his uniform just to feed his ego, or how Orihime would always get lectured by Tsubaki, one of her six pixies before she finally mastered her Fullbring. Apparently Chad adored cute stuff despite his appearance, and Rukia was obsessed with Chappy the Rabbit, even going as far as drawing people as bunnies, while Renji was labeled as a permanent Freeloader and Moocher by Jinta. During the conversation, Renji and Rukia had mentioned that many of the Captains, Lieutenants, and a couple seated officers of the Gotei 13 were good friends of the group, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to meet all of them. Especially with people as crazy as Kenpachi lumbering around.

Laughing at the evening's events, he shook his head to lose excess water once he turned the shower off. After he dried himself off, the teen left the bathroom, pulling on a pair of blue boxers and white T-shirt before hopping into bed and drifting into his mindscape. Opening his cocoa eyes, he was met with brilliant gold on black inches from his own face.

"GAH!" The orange haired teen jumped back, only to lose his balance and fall on his ass with a loud thump on the sideways skyscraper. Shiro bust into a series of watery, double-toned laughter at his wielder's misfortune, offering a porcelain hand to help his hybrid back up. **"For shame Ichi-King! What do I keep telling ya?"**

"Instincts, instincts. I know, but do you have to keep bringing it up?" Ichigo asked as he was pulled back up with Shiro's help. The teen dusted his Shinigami outfit off and ran a hand through his shoulder length hair. When no response came, he looked up to see his pale Hollow Zanpakuto with his pale arms crossed and was frowning off into the distance. Curious, the orangette stepped closer, looking between the albino and the direction that golden orbs were staring at. "Hey. Something wrong?"

The alabaster figure shook his head, turning to face his Ichigo as he unsheathed his ivory blades. **"Nah. Just a random hollow in the area, but Rukia's got it so no use fretting."**

With that, he leaped forward in a blitz of shunpo, blended with sonido to propel him even faster, as he brought his dual swords crashing down on ebony mirrors. Ichigo grinned in anticipation, having drawn his swords at the last second to meet Shiro's strike, and pushed back. The albino laughed as he leaped back and stabbed his large Khyber sword into the side of the building. **"Hey King, how about we make things a bit more interesting? We'll only use the Trench knives."**

The teen blinked at the idea and shrugged before driving his own giant sword into the skyscraper. In the next instant, Shiro appeared behind him, leaning over his shoulder as gave the teen a peck on the cheek…. While also groping the orangette's ass with his free hand…

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Ichigo gave a "manly" yelp of surprise as he leaped away with a furious blush painting his face. The pale spirit, on the other hand, gave a coy smile as he looked away while he used the guarded handle to twirl his snowy white knife on a single finger. **"What? I said we'd make things more interesting didn't I? So let's play a game, whoever steals the most kisses and/or gropes wins this giant peanut butter cup."**

With that, the alabaster hollow pulled a six inch long, two inch thick peanut butter cup wrapped in red foil from the folds of his Shihakusho. Meanwhile, the orange haired teen stared at the candy with his jaw dropped. " Where the hell did you find _that_?"

 **"Remember that building with the mountain of candy in it? You fell off of a building during one of our first sparring sessions and crashed through the windows of the building below only to land in tons of candy."** Shiro explained as he gently set the peanut butter treat on to the reflective ground. The teen nodded, remembering that night. He also remembered seeing his Zanpakuto stuffing his bleached pockets with handfuls of candy when he thought Ichigo wasn't looking. He never really gave the candy mountain much thought, but now he wondered what his albino boyfriend did with the mountain when he wasn't here. Images of the porcelain white Hollow swimming in the candy swept comically through his mind. Then pictures of his snowy reflection in only swim shorts came next to dance around his head.

All of a sudden, Ichigo was torn from his thoughts by pale lips crashing against his own. The albino pulled back, smirking at his orangette's startled expression. The teen lunged forward to punch the pale pervert only for the albino to dance out of his reach, laughing as he went. "Looks like another point for me~! Ya need to focus if ya wanna win."

Growling, the orange haired hybrid shunpoed after Shiro, with determined fury. He leaped off of a sideways skyscraper, meeting the albino in midair, clashing with their twin knives. The two separated, landing on opposite ends of a tilted building as they began to circle each other. Pouring as much power as he could draw from within himself into his speed, the teen dashed forward in a whirlwind of shunpo blazed with sonido. He crashed into a surprised Hollow Zanpakuto, knocking him back as Ichigo wrenched the ivory blade out of his grasp.

With a grunt, Shiro landed hard on his back while the orangette straddled his thighs. Swooping down, the teen captured snowy white petals with his own pink ones and moved against them with zeal. The albino gripped covered shoulders as he smirked into the rough motions only to squeak in surprise when a tanned hand dipped down to firmly grope his groin. A maddening blush of mortification dyed his pale face a bright rose pink color as Ichigo pulled away to sit up with his arms crossed and smirked down at his soulmate's embarrassment. "What? You said we'd make things more interesting didn't you?"

The albino rolled his eyes as his words were turned against him, desperately trying to force the redness to leave his cheeks. Not about to get beaten at his own game nor change the rules to evade discomposure like a coward, Shiro shoved his Hybrid off of him and sprinted to pick his trench knife back up. The two continuously chased after each other, parrying blades as they each tried reach for a quick grab, or disarm the other in order to capture tempting lips. Their matching grins grew with each success. By the end of the night, the pair ended up splitting the giant peanut butter cup between them as the sat with their feet dangling over the edge of a skyscraper with the world all to themselves.

* * *

"I got it!" Ichigo shouted as he shunpoed towards the reiatsu of a wandering hollow. It was Friday, two days after the teen's reincarnation status was confirmed, and he was currently assigned to hollow patrol by Urahara.

"Wait for me, fool!" Rukia called after him as she leaped from roof to roof, her Captain's haori flaring out behind her. She'd insisted on going with the teen, even after he explained that he knew how to use his Shinigami abilities. Now she was scrambling to keep up with him. The hybrid paused at the top of a two-story house and observed the petite captain through his long bangs as he patiently waited for her to catch up. Finally, she met up with him on the roof, gasping for air.

"You… *huff*... actually waited?" The midget asked in disbelief as she gazed up at the teen. Blinking in surprise, Ichigo tilted his head in question. "Uh, yeah? You told me to didn't you?"

Rukia looked sheepish as the obvious fact was presented to her, but refused to acknowledge her blunder and instead proceeded to continue on towards the hollow's location with the teen leisurely following after her. The two found the creature, which resembled a sickly green giraffe with spider legs, lumbering down an empty street, probably searching for its next meal. Once there, Ichigo stopped several feet away from the gargantuan beast and waited for a minute before instantly appearing behind the hollow and cleanly sliced it in down the middle. 'Well that was boring.'

"That was easy… Look, I don't need help so you don't have to follow me ok?" The orange haired teen turned to face the Shinigami captain. Rukia pouted, but simply crossed her arms and looked away, refusing to leave him alone. After a minute of silence, another hollow reiatsu signature appeared several miles away. Immediately, the petite captain straightened her composure and turned towards the source.

"I'll handle this one." She stated firmly before vanishing in a burst of shunpo. The orangette shrugged to himself and left the area, heading in the opposite direction.

* * *

Several defeated hollows later into the afternoon and the teen found himself strolling around town in spirit form out of boredom. It wasn't long before he made a complete circle and found himself back at the Urahara Shoten. That's when an idea hit him as he remembered sensing Uryu vanishing into Urahara's basement. Shunpoeing into the shop, Ichigo swept into the back, opened the hatch, and leaped into the training grounds below, closing the door behind him. Diving down with gravity while gathering reiatsu to cushion his fall, the orangette landed lightly on his feet into the vast rocky landscape under the grand sky-like ceiling.

In the distance, he could see bursts of neon blue lights zipping across the sky from behind a small ridge. Blitzing across the mass area of dirt ground, the teen instantly reached the top of the ridge and looked down to see Uryu, in his Quincy uniform, firing arrow after arrow from his Heilig Bogen as he dashed around the wide plane with Hirenkyaku. He recognized the manipulation and conversion of reishi into attacks from one of Shiro's lessons, and watched as each arrow found its mark at the center of over hundreds of one foot wide targets that whizzed through the air with miniature jet propulsions, moving at the same speed as the archer. With each second, target after target was shot down to burn on the hard, merciless ground. The hum of moving reshi, crackling of fire, and shattering metal floated through the dusty air.

"Do you need something Kurokatu?" Uryu asked, once the last target crashed to the ground, as he landed to the right of the teen, who'd sat down several minutes ago as he patiently observed the Quincy's practice session. Ichigo tilted his head at the question, his orange tresses tickling his left shoulder. "You're sticking to my other name?"

Pushing his glasses up, allowing the surface to momentarily reflect the room's artificial light, Uryu replied. "It's the name of your past incarnation. So, I believe that you shouldn't be bound by a past life that no longer defines you. Besides, you did say that we could call you Ichigo IF we wanted to."

The orange haired teen chuckled sheepishly. "Oh yeah, I did say that. Well, anyways, I wanted to ask you if we could spar… and maybe show me how to do some of the basic Quincy techniques?"

The archer's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but he quickly eased back into proper composure. "Of course, I don't mind. Do you want to spar, or have explanations first?"

"Spar." Ichigo answered immediately as he stood up abruptly. In a single continuous motion, the teen drew both swords, spun towards Uryu, and fired a small juujishou tensho. The attack exploded on contact, tossing up a massive dust cloud as the impacted ridge crumbled from the force of the attack. In the next instant, the teen leapt upwards as a barrage of neon arrows blasted from behind him, where the Quincy appeared in a burst of Hirenkyaku. Twisting in midair, the orangette shot towards the older man, black Khyber sword raised before it was brought down to crash into the ground where the other had been standing.

With the larger sword still embedded in rock and dirt, the orangette quickly swiped the obsidian Trench knife to his left side, firing a wordless Getsuga Tensho before Uryu could fire another round of arrows. The archer zipped out of the way of the blast of energy, raising his left arm as a dust cloud grew in the wake of the attack's impact with the dirt ground. Suddenly, Ichigo burst through the dust cloud, right in front of a surprised Quincy, and brought his massive blade down on the older man. With a loud crash, the black blade was met with what appeared to be a straight and narrow blade that glowed blue just like reshi arrows, along with a silver handle that was gripped in Uryu's right hand. Maintaining pressure on his sword, keeping the blade locked with the older's, the teen stared in bafflement at the weapon.

"Is that… a lightsaber?" Immediately, the orange haired teen winced slightly as loud, watery laughter echoed in his head. Meanwhile, Uryu sweat dropped, laughing lightly in amusement at the orangette's astonishment. "No, it's called Seele Schneider. It may look like a sword, but it's a device that draws in reishi to create a large super arrow."

The archer explained as he leapt backwards, placing several yards between himself and the orange haired teen. Ichigo paused, relaxing a little but still keeping a readied pose with both blades firmly gripped in tan hands as he processed the information. "Huh. I know about stuff like Heilin Bogen and Hirenkyaku, but I haven't heard that one." He muttered quietly to himself.

 _ **"HA HA HAA! Lightsaber! That's a good one King! Anyways, it must've slipped my mind. Either that, or I've never seen it before. I'm gonna go with the latter."**_ Shiro explained as Ichigo dashed forward, weaving left and right to dodge arrows. All of a sudden, the steady stream of arrows stopped for a split second as Uryu drew his reishi bowstring back extra tight and released a torrent of over a thousand projectiles all at once. To retaliate, the teen activated Blut Vene and spun his Khyber sword like a top as he poured reiatsu into the obsidian blade. As soon as the volley of arrows reached within five yards of the orange head, he released a condensed Getsuga Tensho that shot forward like a massive laser and disintegrated a portion of the wall of reishi, creating a safe zone as the arrows harmlessly met with the ground surrounding the orangette. Ichigo looked over, noticed the Quincy's change in position and spun to find him standing a few feet away with a Seele Schneider driven into the ground, four others were also driven into the ground surrounding the teen.

He moved to escape the obvious trap, but was too late as Uryu poured condensed reishi from a tiny container onto the Seele Schneider. Immediately, the ground glowed in a five pronged cross and a column of burning blue energy shot towards the underground heavens. Ichigo gritted his teeth as he felt his skin and clothes burning, even with Blut Vene activated, and without thinking, clawed at his face with reiatsu concentrated in his hands. Suddenly, a cool sensation smoothed over his face and the teen could feel power releasing from his soul. The column of reishi quickly died down to reveal the orange haired teen standing at the center.

A porcelain white bone mask with two vertical red stripes going through the eyeholes rested upon his face. For a second, Uryu appeared shocked and more with furrowed eyebrows but quickly gathered himself together and shot another volley of arrows once again. This time, Ichigo sheathed his trench knife before raising the Khyber blade before him. With his left hand, he charged up a cero before releasing it to obliterate the rain of reishi bearing down on him. The false sky exploded with vibrant reds, blues, and orange as the two pit the forces of Quincy arrows versus Hollow ceros and Shinigami Getsuga Tenshos.

Soon, the attacks dwindled to nothing as the dust slowly settled, leaving the opponents to stare at each other. Ichigo waved a free hand over his covered face to dismiss his hollow mask and sheathed his colossal sword on his back, a small grin of satisfaction from the spar drawn on his face, and he strolled over to Uryu. Meanwhile, the Quincy was gasping for breath, bent over with his hands on his knees. When he looked up to see the teen casually approaching, he choked.

"Didn't even break a sweat? Then perhaps…?" The older man grumbled to himself before quickly shaking his head and stood up straight, dusting his singed uniform. "I guess that's it for today. I should probably get going now. As for the lessons, they'll have to wait for another day."

The teen opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when he sensed a reiatsu signature enter the basement. A couple minutes later and Chad appeared before them in a flash of Bringer Light. The tall Mexican towered over them with his shaggy hair and goatee, while wearing a grey muscle shirt and blue jeans. The orange haired teen cheerfully raised a hand in greeting. "Hey Chad!"

The colossal man silently stared at the pair before slowly walking up to Uryu. "Orihime wants to know if you know where Nobu's practice bow is." He rumbled.

"I'm afraid not. Good, thing I was heading home to begin with." Responded the archer as he turned to leave. However, he stopped when he noticed Chad leaning over him. Looking up, the pale man raised an eyebrow in question at the Fullbringer's quiet observation.

"You… changed your hair?" The giant asked quietly. Ichigo blinked at the question before his eyes widened in surprise as he examined the Quincy. The man's jet black side bang was now on the left side rather than the right for some reason. How could he have missed something like that?

"Well of course. I haven't changed it for twenty years. Is that so wrong?" The archer frowned, but only received a slight shrug from the quiet man while the teen stood a few feet away, wondered why it was weird considering the fact that Orihime was also changing her hairstyle by tying her long copper-red tresses up more often. Sighing, he turned and began to lightly jog towards the ladder to the shop. Shrugging, Ichigo leisurely walked to the ladder as well, deciding go ahead a go home, followed by Chad, who silently lumbered after him. The orange haired teen wondered how Shiro will rate his spar with Uryu, and hoped they would get to play some video games once he delves into the inner world.

* * *

 **Ichigo:** So what's your excuse now?

 **Verteller:** Life.

 **Shiro:** That's a lame excuse...

 **Verteller:** ...Why're you both still here?

 **Ichigo & Shiro:** Bored.

 **Verteller:** Then get a hobby...

 **Ichigo & Shiro:**...

 **Verteller:**...

 **Ichigo & Shiro: **Nah.

 **Verteller:** *sigh*


	13. It's just a Game

**Viola!**

* * *

Chapter 13

"So… now what?" Ichigo stared up at the sideways skyscraper above him as he laid on the side of another building, having just finished another sparring session with his Zanpakuto, on Saturday afternoon, after he'd gotten home from work. Nearby, Shiro, sitting with his legs crossed and ivory blades resting on his knees, merely shrugged as he grinned lazily. **"That's up to ya."**

"Well, since I have today off and don't have any plans, why don't you pick?" The albino cocked an eyebrow as Gold on black locked with chocolate brown. **"Why? Yer the King, not me."**

"Maybe, but we share the same soul, so you get just as much choice as I do." Ichigo frowned before sitting up. Stretching his arms out, the teen popped his shoulders then began to crawl closer to the pale spirit. Once he was close enough, the orangette turned and sat next to his Shiro, resting his head on his Zanpakuto's right shoulder. "Besides, you were the one who said to go to the movies a few days ago."

Shiro chuckled as he turned his head just enough to nuzzle bright orange tresses. **"That's different. Ya mentioned being bored that day, so I gave a suggestion. Same went with yer attire and choice of movie. Ya didn't have to listen to me. Also, I'm not the one who bought yer accessories nor am I the one who settled between 'Deadpool' and 'Saw' just because I kept saying 'That'. In the end, I only chose between them cuz ya told me to."**

The orange haired teen looked up at the albino with a raised eyebrow. "Is this referring back to the whole 'King and Horse' issue? It's getting kinda old, don't you think? Pick something that you want to do." The pale reflection cackled at the command, but nodded anyways.

The porcelain skinned being quickly shoved his Shinigami Hybrid onto his back. Ichigo yelped as his back hit the hard glass window pane of the sideways skyscraper, preparing to protest, but stopped when Shiro laid down with the teen. Snowy hair tickled the orangette's left cheek as his Hollowfied Zanpakuto rested his head on Ichigo's shoulder, alabaster arms hugging the teen's chest. The hybrid allowed a small smile to grace his face, wrapping his own arms around his porcelain replica's shoulders. A small hum of content vibrated within the albino's chest, as if he were a purring cat.

It felt like hours had passed as the two simply laid together within their shared realm of sideways skyscraper, taking in each other's warmth. After a while, Shiro sat up with a thoughtful expression on his face, peering at the tilted sky, causing Ichigo to sit up as well. **"Rukia's here. Ya might wanna answer the door."**

The teen nodded, although a bit reluctantly, and quickly ascended into the outer realm. Blinking rapidly, he sat up on his bed, the sound of rapid knocking reverberating throughout his one bedroom apartment. Figuring that the pale blue tee and blue plaid pajama pants were enough, he jumped out of bed before briskly walking to the front door. Opening the entryway, the orangette found Rukia, in a lavender spring dress with pastel green trimming, nervously fidgeting with her dress. The petite Shinigami immediately reoriented herself once she saw the orange haired teen and coughed into a small fist. "Ah, may I please enter?"

Ichigo figured 'why not' and stepped aside to allow the Shinigami Captain to enter his abode. Rukia entered with a determined expression and gingerly sat down on the basic beige couch. The teen closed the front door and headed towards the kitchen. After a minute, he returned with two cups of steaming hot tea, handing one to the midget before sitting down next to her. The petite figure peered into her cup as she furiously scratching the side of her neck while the orange haired hybrid silently sipped his drink. "Are you alright? You've had that bug bite for a while now. I've got some itching cream if you want some."

Rukia turned towards Ichigo, her violet eyes wide as a light blush colored her cheeks, and shook her head before smiling sweetly. "N-no! I'm fine! A-anyways, I just came by to ask if you wanted to head over to the arcade later." The teen nodded in acknowledgment, having a suspicion on what she really wanted, and figured it best to play dense to show his disinterest.

"Sure! When are you and the gang going to head out?" The midget's face fell as confusion crossed her eyes. "The gang?"

The orangette nodded. "Yeah. You know, Chad, Renji, Orihime, and Uryu. You five seem so connected together, so I figured that you were a nakama."

"Oh! Why yes we are. Ah...I… haven't told them about the arcade." Rukia frowned as she once again began to scratch at her neck, but Ichigo was too busy drinking his tea to notice. Once he put the back cup down, he turned back to the Shinigami Captain, who'd already ceased her scratching. "Well, I'm free all day, so whatever time they want to go, I'll be fine with." her sit with dissatisfaction as she stared down at her half-empty teacup, Ichigo couldn't help but worry about his friend.

 ** _"Ya could just tell her that ya know how she feels, but aren't interested."_** Shiro's watery double-toned voice echoed softly from within the twisted mindscape. The teen mentally shook his head before responding. " _That might hurt her even more. She might be humiliated to know that I had figured it out. Besides, we don't truly know if she has feelings for me besides friendship. We could be over thinking things."_

Ichigo could feel a mental shrug offered to him before his pale reflection's presence retreated towards the deeper depths of his inner realm. Turning his attention back to Rukia, he noticed, as she continued to stare into her cup, that on the back-left of her neck was an angry red from continuous irritation peeking out from a curtain of her raven-black hair. Without hesitation, he got up and rushed into the bathroom. When he finally popped back into the living room, he found Rukia staring at him with an expression of both confusion and worry. Plopping back into his seat on the couch, he handed a tube of itching cream to the petite captain.

"I know you said that you're fine, but put it on just in case." The orange haired teen reassured her. Nervously putting her teacup down, Rukia gingerly received the tube and popped open the cap.

"You know, You're part of our nakama, too." The midget spoke while the teen watched as she squirted some cream into her slender hand before rubbing it into the back of her neck. Ichigo shook his head, his long orange tresses tickling the base of his neck.

"Maybe in the past, but things are different now. My reset button has been pressed. Now I need to reforge new bonds before I can truly be considered your friend." Rukia remained silent as she continued to smooth the cool cream into her skin. Finally, after a few quiet moments, the petite Shinigami stopped and swiftly closed the tube's cap with a small click.

"Thank you..." She quickly handed the tube back, refusing to make eye-contact. Once Ichigo took back the medicine, Rukia stood up. "I'll give you a call once I get the time from the others."

The raven-haired girl strode over to the entrance, opening the front door. She paused in the open entry, not bothering to look back. "Thanks again for the cream, but it won't help."

With that, the door closed and she was gone.

* * *

 **"So, are ya gonna change or what?"** Shiro questioned as Ichigo stared at his dresser. The teen had recently gotten a text, saying to be ready by 6:00pm, which was about ten minutes away. Now he just had to put on clothes that weren't pajamas, like he was already wearing. _"Yeah, just give me a minute."_

Five minutes passed until the teen was finally standing before the full-length mirror that hung on the back of his, currently closed, bedroom door. He wore an ocean blue plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up, as well as a pair of loose, basic brown cargo pants. Dark brown sneakers were fitted comfortably on his feet. Flicking off the lights in his bedroom, the orangette opened the door before strolling into his living room and dropping onto his couch. Reaching into his right pocket, the hybrid brought his phone, an iPhone 10s, and placed it onto the low rectangular coffee table before him.

Leaning back, Ichigo slouched with his hands stuffed in his pockets as he stared up at the ceiling, pondering. Suddenly, the orange haired teen felt phantom arms drape over his shoulders in a warm embrace. A ghostly puff of warm air tickled his left ear. _**"What's wrong?"**_

 _"I'm just worried about Rukia. You know her better than me, did she seem off to you?"_ The teen felt invisible shoulders shrug before Shiro responded. _**"I only knew her through mostly yer own eyes. Either way, she does seem to be unsettled by something."**_

The orangette nodded in acknowledgement, before another question popped into his mind. _"Hey Shiro."_

 ** _"Yea?"_**

 _"What's the arcade like? Have I been there before?"_

There was a _very_ long pause before the albino could speak again. **_"I.. honestly don't know. I mean, I know what it is and I've seen the entrance before through yer eyes, but that's it. Back then, the only place that you actually went with yer friends was the movie theatre and the park. You've gone to the ice skating rink in the winter, but that was only once or twice. Even then, you weren't really the type to hang out with yer friends outside of school, especially before ya gained Shinigami powers"_**

Ichigo blinked in surprise as the news. " _Seriously, that's it? Did I not know how to have fun or at least have a hobby? I might not have had other friends to hang out with before, but at least I tried to get out more with events and after school stuff."_

Suddenly, loud psychotic laughter burst forth, echoing within the wincing teens head. The orangette could practically see his alabaster Zanpakuto spirit's mocking grin as he pressed his right ear, trying to stop the ringing.

 _ **"Well, ya were pretty studious despite looking like some kinda delinquent. Ya even ranked twenty three in high school. Though, not as good as yer current rank of nineteen, ya nerd"**_

 _"Hey! That's just because I remembered the basic understanding of what the teachers taught up until Senior year from my last life. Besides, I remember hearing you tell me some of the answers during the really hard tests!"_ The teen huffed in defense.

 ** _"Ha ha! Guilty!"_** rapid snickering echoed. All of a sudden, Ichigo's phone began vibrating loudly on the coffee table. He quickly picked up the phone, glancing at the screen as he stood before pocketing the device with a small grin. "Time to have some fun."

* * *

The arcade was loud with various EDM and Dubstep blaring from the speakers as Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, Chad, Orihime, Uryu, and Nobu stepped in. There was multiple people there, either playing games, talking, or eating food in the area of tables and chairs near the food station off to the side. Black lights highlighted the neon colored streaks in the black carpet as the various games glowed with a rainbow array of lights. The group quickly input their money at the front in exchange for coins before wandering deeper into the building. Almost immediately, Nobu excitedly dragged his parents off to play, Orihime giggling as her low ponytail bounced behind her while Uryu calmly followed after them.

Ichigo began to wander amongst the games, pondering on what to try out first. Suddenly, Rukia popped up in front of him with a bright smile on her face with no hint of any worry like before.

"You want to play a shooter game first?" She offered, pointing at a post-apocalyptic shooter game with zombies and robotic-killer unicorns. The orange haired teen considered the idea, even though wasn't very partial to guns, considering the fact that he wields a massive fuck-off sword, but wanted to address something else first. "Maybe later. Anyways, are you ok? How's your neck?"

The Raven-haired Shinigami blinked, almost as if she didn't register the question before shrugging. "Oh I'm much better now. It doesn't itch anymore thanks to that medicine you gave me!" She replied cheerfully.

"So do you want to play or not? If you don't want to, we find something else." The petite figure stepped closer. Nearby, the teen could see Renji, out of the corner of his eyes, frowning in their direction yet his shoulders were slumped in defeat. Suddenly, a metaphorical light bulb flashed on above his head as an idea popped up in his mind. "In a bit, but first, Renji and I are going to get some stuff from the food area."

Mentioned redhead looked up in surprised when he heard his name spoken. In a flash, the orange haired teen had grabbed the tattooed Shinigami in Hippie garb before dragging him off. "Hey Chad! Think you can help Rukia find a Chappy game?"

Ichigo called back, smiling triumphantly when he received a grunt in return and peeked over his shoulder to witness the gentle giant herding the petite captain off to another area in the arcade. Turning back to the task at hand, he pulled the baffled pineapple-haired captain over to the food counter and patiently waited in line to give his order.

"What's going on Ichigo?" Renji demanded as soon as the others were out of earshot. The teen smirked, chocolate eyes sparkling mischievously behind a curtain of orange. "I'm going to help with a little problem of yours. I've seen the way you've looked at Rukia."

Renji sputtered, turning as scarlet as his own hair. "S-so?! It's obvious that she likes you! Every chance she gets, I constantly hear her talk about you with Orihime and Chad, or even me sometimes. Beside, I-I'll support ya as long as she's happy…" The tattooed man crossed his arms defensively as he grumbled out the last part.

Ichigo merely laughed as he shook his head. "I'm not interested in that kind of relationship with her. All I want is to just be friends."

The crimson haired Shinigami blinked at the teen's statement, relief evident in his face momentarily before he frowned. "Then why don't you just tell her? Also, how are you going to 'help' me?" He asked, stupefied.

"If I outright reject her, I'm worried that I'll ruin our recent friendship, but if I can get her to fall in love with you without allowing her to realize that I know how she feels, then things will move along more smoothly. Also, you clearly love her, whereas I don't feel that way towards her, so it'll be like killing two birds with one stone." Ichigo explained before ordering a bottle of coke to drink for himself. Meanwhile, Renji nodded in agreement to the explanation and ordered some taiyaki and grape soda.

As the two slowly walked back to the gaming area, they devised a quick plan to get the midget to at least notice the Redhead. Shiro helped too, but the hybrid teen kept that to himself. Soon, the duo finished off their drinks and snack, before finding Rukia playing air hockey with Nobu, while his parents were off playing a racing game nearby.

"Hi Ichi-nii! Hi Pineapple!" Exclaimed the energetic Fullbringer. The "Pineapple" growled at Ichigo, who'd burst out laughing as he clutched his sides, his long bangs shadowing his eyes. It took a good minute before the orange haired teen's snickering had subsided. Finally he looked back up to see Rukia with a blend of confusion and surprise evident on her face.

"Hey Rukia! You wanted to play that shooter game right?" Inquired the orangette. Almost instantly, the raven-haired Shinigami brightened up.

"Come on!" She practically screamed ecstatically as she began to tug the hybrid teen over to the shooter game from before. Meanwhile, Nobu merely shrugged before running off, rambling on about possibly getting Chad to play Pac-man while Renji followed after Ichigo and Rukia. At the zombies and killer-robot unicorns game, the orange haired teen put in the coins before grabbing one of the plastic gun controllers as the game began to start up, and handing the other gun-controller to the midget. As soon as the petite Shinigami got occupied with making the characters on screen explode into gorey rainbows of death, the teen quickly handed his fake gun to Renji before fleeing the scene, wishing the tattooed captain the best of luck. Soon, he found himself wandering amongst the various games, wondering what to do.

 _ **"If yer not gonna play, can I?"**_ Shiro piped up from the depths of their mindscape.

 _"How?"_

 ** _"Remember when I said that I could possess ya?"_**

 _"Oh yeah."_ Ichigo thought sheepishly. _"Alright, just try not to do anything to freak people out… like laughing."_

 _ **"Yer wish is my command yer majesty!"**_ Cackled the porcelain faced reflection. Immediately, Ichigo felt himself go still. Black tendrils creeped over his vision as he felt the sensation of being pushed back by an invisible force without physically moving. In an instant, his sight cleared again, but it was slightly out of focus, like watching through a screen.

 _ **"How are ya feeling?"**_ Shiro's watery voice echoed all around him as if he were in a massive cave. Before he could respond, the orange haired teen felt his body move involuntarily and found himself walking leisurely towards the restroom.

 _"This is so weird."_ Ichigo admitted. " _Is this what you experience all the time?"_

 _ **"Pretty much."**_ Came the echoing response. _**"But I can choose to retreat into our inner world. Ya can too, but only I'm aware of what's going on outside while being in there."**_

Soon, Shiro ( in Ichigo's body) entered the men's restroom and stopped in front of the sink mirror. From there, the orangette could see that his eyes now mimicked his alabaster Zanpakuto spirit. Glowing gold over inky black replaced molten chocolate on snowy white.

 _"Woah."_ He stated in awe, but that quickly became worry. _"What if someone sees? Won't they freak out?"_

 _ **"Only if there spiritually aware. Otherwise, ya look normal… or as normal as you can get with orange hair."**_ The hollowfied Zanpakuto reassured his wielder, his crazed grin plastered on the teen's own face. With nothing more to say, the possessed orangette reduced his mocking grin back to the hybrid Shinigami's typical neutral face, sporting the tiniest smile that was just barely there. Next, he quickly left the restroom and walked over to the, currently empty, DDR machine.

 _"Dance Dance Revolution? I figured you'd want to play a more violent game."_ Ichigo watched and felt as Shiro inserted their coins before starting up the game to begin dancing along with a preppy pop song. Sheer disbelief coursing through his head.

 _ **"Well if I want violence, then we can always spar. Besides, with this game, I can actually move around and the challenge of matching the arrows is pretty entertaining."**_ The albino answered as he vigorously stepped along to the fast paced song. A few minutes passed, the song quickly ending with the Zanpakuto spirit proudly looking at his score. His psychotic grin fighting to appear, but promptly held back. Meanwhile, the orange haired teen scoffed. _"I bet I could do better."_

The hollowfied Zanpakuto raised an eyebrow at his King's proclamation. **_"Oh Ho! Do my ears hear a challenge?"_** A feral glint flashed in his molten gold eyes.

 _"No, a bet."_ The hybrid spoke with a sly tone, causing his alabaster replica to shiver in anticipation. _**"What's the prize?"**_

 _"Winner gets to take the loser wherever they want tomorrow."_

 _ **"Just you and me?"**_

 _"You and me."_

Shiro licked his (Ichigo's) lips as excitement over the proposal coursed through him. _**"Deal."**_

With that, the orange haired hybrid found himself shoved back into control. Confident that he'll win, the teen started up the DDR machine again, choosing a hip hop song for his round. A minute into the song and Ichigo was dancing strong. However, his success was short lived when something viciously kicked him in the side, pushing him off of the game machine and onto the carpeted floor.

"Idiot! How could you just leave me without saying something?!" Ichigo looked up in surprise to see a frowning Rukia standing over him with her arms crossed while Renji stood nearby with a worried expression on his face. Somehow, the way she said those words made it sound like she was berating her boyfriend or something. Shaking the thought out of his head, the orangette stood up, dusting himself off before turning to see Renji studying the game he was just playing.

"So, DDR? What's next Strawberry, ballet?" The crimson haired shinigami grinned while the teen rolled his eyes before shrugging casually. "Nah, I'd rather try break dancing. Why don't you do ballet Pineapple head? It'll improve your swordsmanship."

"Not. A fucking. Pineapple." Renji declared through gritted teeth. Ichigo ignored the snickering echoing in his head as he responded calmly. "Well if you're going to be calling me Strawberry, then I get to call you Pineapple."

The tattooed man seemed to think this over until he final shrugged himself. "Fair enough."

"WHAT?!" The two males almost flinched at the sudden exclamation of surprise. They turned to see Rukia staring at them in intense bafflement, akin to horror. "W-why… but you never… I-I need to go."

The petite figure, in obvious embarrassment, turned to go, but was halted by a hand on her shoulder. Ichigo blinked in curiosity as he witnessed Uryu stopping the thirteenth division captain. "I wouldn't recommend leaving right now. We've only just got here, plus it's getting rather chilly out."

The Quincy spoke smoothly, trying to ease the agitated Shinigami into calming down, but to no avail. Rukia merely huffed before storming off. Uryu looked as if he wanted to follow but was interrupted when Nobu tackle-hugged him from behind. "Dad! Dad! I won, I w-. Where's Ruki-nee going?"

The young Fullbring watched wide-eyed as the raven-haired shinigami left the scene. Meanwhile, Ichigo felt worry creeping up his spine and moved to follow, but stopped when Uryu blocked his path with an arm, and spoke with reassurance as he continued to look in the direction of the entrance as it swung shut. "Don't. She just needs some time to cool off. For now, let's just try to continue enjoying the rest of the evening."

The orange haired teen nodded in acceptance and turned back towards the forgotten DDR machine, suddenly remembering the bet he made with Shiro, which he no doubt lost. The words "Game Over" flashed on the electronic screen.

* * *

 **I just realized that this is the first time that I mentioned an actual day. As for the iPhone 10, I know it doesn't exist at the time that this is being written, but the story takes place in 2023, so bear with me.**

 **Also, taiyaki is basically a fish shaped pancake with red bean filling. It's really tasty, so I recommend trying it if you ever get the chance.**

* * *

 **Verteller:** ...

 **Ichigo:** So, a date huh?

 **Shiro:** *Throws a fruit at writer's head*

 **Verteller:** Ow... why did you throw a... lemon... at me?

 **Shiro:** It's already chapter 13! When will we get a lemon scene?!

 **Verteller:** It'll be on Chapter 19... Well, more like a chapter 18.5, but you get the idea..

 **Shiro:**...

 **Ichigo:** That's awfully specific.

 **Shiro:** Why so far away though?

 **Verteller:** *shrugs* It happens.

 **Shiro:** ...

 **Verteller:**...

 **Ichigo:**...

 **Verteller:** You know you can go fuck each other off screen right?

 **Shiro:** *Drags Ichigo to another room*

 **Ichigo:** Oi! *Doesn't struggle*

 **Verteller:** ...

 ***Door slams shut***

 **Verteller:** Ahh... peace at last...


	14. Fluffy enough for ya?

**Tread carefully, as things will get... fluffy. Pillows for screaming your fangasms into is recommended. (Ok, clearly an exaggeration, but my goal is fangasms.)**

 **Although the chapter is a bit short, fair warning.**

* * *

Chapter 14

 **"Oi…... Ichi, wake up…... King…... Hey, King… WAKE UP, DAMMIT!"** A loud thump echoed as the startled teen fell off of the comfy black cotton couch, that he was using as a temporary resting place, to land face first onto the wooden floor below. Ichigo sat up groggily, his Shinigami ruffled from having slept in them, and yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, before looking up at the amused albino who stood, smirking, before him.

 **"Wakey wakey, Sleeping beauty."** Shiro cackled as the orangette got to his feet and stretched his arms out to pop his joints, grateful for having the foresight to remove his armor before hitting the sack. "Good morning to you too, Snow White."

The pale being released a burst his signature laugh of insanity as he handed his ebony dual blade form over to his orange haired teen, once said teen had finished putting his armor back on. When the hybrid Shinigami was ready, the two shunpoed out of the gaming den, which was located in the skyscraper of entertainment, that Ichigo had used as a sleeping place. The duo landed onto the side on one of the many sideways buildings of their inner world. There, the alabaster Zanpakuto spirit turned to his wielder with a wide grin on his porcelain white face. **"Hope yer ready."**

The orangette nodded, very curious as to what his alabaster lover had planned for him, thanks to the results of their bet from the day before. Chocolate orbs locked onto golden pools swimming in midnight, a silent message of trust passing between them. Shiro leaned forward, giving his Ichigo a peck on the cheek, before shoving the teen backwards and back into his body in the outer realm of reality. Opening his eyes, Ichigo found himself sitting in a chair in his bedroom, facing the full length mirror hanging on his door. Someone was clearly busy, as the orangette was trimmed and ready to go.

"You're really getting into this aren't you?" He asked out loud, admiring what his boyfriend had dressed him in. The orange head wore red and white high tops on his feet, and a pair of comfortable form fitting black jeans. A red belt with a chain was wrapped around his hips. A deep blue button-up had its sleeves rolled up to the elbow, the top three buttons left open to show off the black undershirt beneath it.

Meanwhile, a black fedora with a simple white band rested on his head of orange locks. Hugging along the rim of his left ear, on the outer edge of the cartilage, was a silver cuff. The black wristwatch, that he owned, was strapped to his right wrist. Finally, a pure white crescent moon pendant hung around the teen's tanned neck, the gleaming pendant resting over his heart. The ivory surface contrasting, glowing against the black background.

 _'Where'd you even get this necklace? It's nice. Also, I don't remember ever owning a fedora.'_ Ichigo mused, standing up to look over his outfit for the day.

 ** _'We~ll, I may have gone shopping while ya were snoozing.'_** Shiro admitted, from with their mindscape.

 _'No wonder you insisted that I actually sleep for once.'_ The orange haired teen chuckled as he walked out of his bedroom, flipping the light switch as he went.

 _ **'Yup. the trip took longer since a mangy low-class hollow decided to try and jump me, so I figured I'd have a little fun with it. Couple of trees tried to fall on me, but nothing a little Bringer Light can't fix with a couple power punches.'**_ The Zanpakuto spirit declared with a hint of triumph, causing Ichigo to pause in the middle of his living room, a single eyebrow raised in question. _'I have Fullbringer powers too? Also, why'd you use them instead of using the blades?'_

 ** _'Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that. Then again, ya only used them for less than a week. After that, ya never bothered using them again. As for why_ _I_ _used them is 'cause I didn't bring the Shinigami badge with me.'_** The albino's watery double-toned voice echoed with a sheepish chuckle at the last part. _**'Would've been easier if I could materialize, but that'll have to wait for another time.'**_

This got the teen's attention as he stepped out into the Sunday afternoon, the bright sun glowing in the cloudless sky of sapphire blue. ' _Why can't you materialize?'_

 ** _'Currently, I don't have an established link to the outer world. Until you can learn to materialize me with ease, I can't get out on my own.'_ ** Shiro explained as the orangette locked the front door behind him. ' ** _So, try to enjoy today as much as possible.'_**

 _'I'd enjoy it more if we actually went somewhere.'_ Ichigo thought teasingly. On cue, he felt a phantom force pulling on him, and allowed it to push him back, watching as his pale hollowfied Zanpakuto take control. The possessed hybrid then leisurely walked downstairs and out of the apartment complex that he called home. They strolled down the road, taking in the sun's warmth as the reached closer to the albino's intended destination. Soon, the alabaster Zanpakuto spirit lead them to a quaint little café.

The bell rang as he (they) stepped into the charming building decorated with light pastels. Approaching near the counter, the pale being patiently waited in line. During the wait, Ichigo noticed, out of the corner of his eye, a group of girls checking him out from their seats near the window. An echoing giggle rang through his head as his possessed body moved forward with the line.

 _ **'Ooh! I bet they would lo~ve for me to flirt with them. Maybe even exchange some phone numbers. Why it'd be a shame if it turned out I was taken at the last moment.'**_ Shiro had noticed too.

 _'No, you're not allowed to prank people while possessing me.'_ The teen spoke sternly over their mental link, rolling his eyes.

 _ **'Aww! Yer no fun.'**_ Came the jeering response as Shiro (in Ichigo's body) bought a mixed drink, called Tripleberry Au Lait, from the counter. He grabbed their to-go cup before strolling out the door and down the street to their next destination.

 _'Hey, your right! I am appreciating today.'_ The orangette suddenly exclaimed dramatically, earning himself an inquiring **_'huh?'_** from his alabaster Zanpakuto. _'I can appreciate the fact that I can keep you from trying to do weird stuff to random people out of boredom. Plus, I'm anticipating when I can learn how to materialize you, so you can buy stuff with your own money.'_

 _'How, exactly, am I going to get money when ya materialize me?'_ The pale being asked, sounding genuinely curious.

 _'You get a gigai from Urahara, then get a job.'_ Ichigo explained, as if it was completely obvious.

 _ **'That sounds as simple as our Wi-Fi!'**_

 _'You and your damn Wi-Fi!'_ Shiro mentally burst into a fit of crazed giggles at his orange haired hybrid's irritation. After a minute of calming down, he finally took a sip from the drink he'd bought.

 _'Holy SHIT this is weird!'_ Ichigo yelped from within their head.

 _ **'What's wrong? Ya don't like it?'**_ Asked the albino, taking another sip.

 _'No, it's not that. I mean, the drink is great, don't get me wrong, but it's just so weird. I'm experiencing what you are, the taste and texture of the drink. Even how cold it is. Yet when I check, there's nothing in my mouth!'_ The Hollowfied Zanpakuto's psychotic laughter echoed around The orange haired teen, in his retreated spot within the surface of their mind, as Shiro leisurely sat on the steps leading to the shore of the Karakura river, resting their elbows on their knees. The afternoon sun shined down from a partially cloudy sky of deep blue, as the pair lazily enjoyed their shared drink, taking in the peaceful scene. A cool breeze flew by rustling the fresh green grass. Sunlight reflected off of the river, causing the smooth water to seemingly sparkle in the light.

 _'Is it weird that I'm in love with my Zanpakuto Spirit, when you're essentially me?'_ Ichigo asked, shattering the serene silence.

The currently placated spirit sighed out loud, taking in a deep breathe before responding. **_'Still worrying about that, eh? Who cares what others think. Well, to answer yer question, maybe, but they do say that to love others, ya must first love yerself. Also, think about it, as the other half of yer soul, yer Zanpakuto is the closest one to ya who can fully understand yer persona.'_**

A breathy chuckle escaped the hybrid teen as he wrapped his reiatsu around the albino in a spiritual embrace. _'That sounds nice.'_

After a while, Shiro finally finished off their Tripleberry au Lait before standing up. He stretched their limbs out with a pop, then strolled away from the river side, tossing their empty to-go cup into a trash can that they passed. Walking, they soon came up to a small restaurant that sold Indian food, a fairly rare sight to see in a small town like Karakura. Inside, the hollowfied Zanpakuto ordered extra spicy curry with white rice for the teen, no doubt knowing about Ichigo's developed taste for heat since hollowed memories removed the joy of sweets for the orangette. Personally, the hybrid Shinigami thought it was a bit late for lunch, but couldn't complain considering he got to sleep for quite awhile. Walking out of the restaurant, the bagged to-go box in hand, the possessed teen headed to the park.

The place was bustling with all sorts of people doing whatever the hell people do at parks, thus, the duo went over to an empty picnic table in a quiet corner of the vast area, near a lone tree that was several feet away from a stretch of forest. Sitting down at the table, Ichigo found himself pushed back in control. Confused, the teen mentally called out to the missing spirit, but received nothing in return. Only a small mumble indicated that Shiro had retreated to the inner mindscape. Soon, the enticing aroma of the warm curry drew the orangette's attention away from the absent albino.

Digging into the delicious food, he wondered why his porcelain faced Zanpakuto had left so suddenly. As he bit down on a spicy carrot slice, the answer clicked. Shiro hated spicy food. Thinking back, the pale spirit does seem to visit the candy mountain since he would sometimes. Also, Ichigo would sometimes find a small pile of discarded candy wrappers in the corner of the gaming den when they retreat into the entertainment den to have some more relaxed fun after an intense sparring match at night.

Not only that, but Shiro probably retains personality traits relating to the old Ichigo, such as certain tastes in things. Considering all this, it would make sense why he'd delve into the depths of their mindscape in order to avoid spicy flavors. Suddenly, an idea popped into the teens mind, causing him to smirk mischievously. The orangette picked through his curry with a plastic spoon until he found what he needed. Quickly, he scooped up a large slice of hot pepper into his mouth, chewing just slightly for maximum heat. Then, he dug through his mind, latched onto Shiro's presence, and forced him into control.

 **"Fucking SHIT!"** Yelped the possessed teen out loud, coughing the chewed pepper onto the grassy ground. He could hear Ichigo laughing from within their head. Ignoring the laughter, the alabaster spirit hurried to the nearest vending machine, tossing the half-eaten curry into a park trashcan along the way as minor payback, and bought the sweetest drink it had to soothe his chemically burned taste buds. Walking back to the isolated bench, chugging on his sugary relief, the albino went over various ways to get his full revenge. In the end, he settled with a good old fashioned ass whooping.

Tossing his finished can, Shiro wandered over to the nearby tree and settled down onto a cozy spot under its shady branches. Placing their fedora over their face, he descended into their inner world. Once he found himself on a sideways skyscraper, he was greeted with the sight of a trail of assorted candy.

 **"My stash better be ok ya damn tyrant!"** He yelled into the twisted heavens as he began collecting the candy trail. The Zanpakuto would never admit it, but he was wary, as well as unsure, of what Ichigo might do. It would appear that the orange haired teen enjoyed pranks a bit more than his last incarnation. The alabaster being continued to follow the trail, stuffing the candy into his pockets sewn in his white Hakama and Shihakusho sleeves, until he eventually grabbed a bucket from one of the sideways buildings to hold the treats in.

Finally, after an hour or more of shunpoing from building to building, gathering up the trail of sweetness, Shiro found himself standing at the window that lead to his beloved mountain. Leaping down, the porcelain faced spirit dumped his collected sweets back into the gargantuan pile, peeking around into the cavernous space. The trail was gone, with no Ichigo in sight. Suddenly, a single lump of candy, several feet away, shifted.

 **"Gotcha!"** Cried the pale Zanpakuto as he leaped towards the area that moved. Tossing sweets aside, it wasn't long until he uncovered a certain snickering orange haired hybrid. The teen was covering his mouth with his hand, desperate to keep from bursting into a fit of laughter. Grabbing the orangette by the collar, the albino hoisted Ichigo out of the colossal pile. A few stray pieces of candy poked out here and there on the Shinigami hybrid's uniform as he stood before his furious Shiro.

 **"What the hell was that for?!"** Demanded the albino in reference to the pepper. **"Ya wouldn't let me pull any pranks, so why'd y-!"**

Ichigo cut off his porcelain faced spirit by crashing their lips together. The hollowfied Zanpakuto was stunned by the sudden action, but soon, his brilliant gold on black eyes fluttered closed as he began messaging pink petals with his own, vigorously. Tan arms hooked around the pale spirit's waist prompting him to grab his lover's orange tresses, and tilt his head to deepen the kiss. The albino felt drugged as ecstasy pumped through his veins, and soon found his blue tongue being drawn into a sweet cavern. Entering the inviting mouth, Shiro Zangetsu was pleasantly surprised to find it filled with rich melted chocolate.

Pressing closer, with no air passing between their clothed chests, the pale Zanpakuto was practically drinking from his king, consuming the dark essence. Every now and then, the teen would moan as an eager appendage explored for more richness and traced hidden crevices. After seemingly forever, the two finally broke for air.

 **"Yer evil, ya know?"** Panted the albino as he fought to catch his breathe, licking his lips to savor the taste of his chocolate covered King. A gasped laugh escaped Ichigo. "Hey, I made up for it didn't I? And I didn't want you to prank anyone is because you're using my body. Once we get you your own gigai, you can do whatever you want that doesn't put you in jail."

 **"Can't wait. By the way, do ya remember that American movie called 300?"** The orangette did not like where things were going, but answered anyways. "Yes?"

 **"Good, cuz… THIS IS SPARTA!"** Shiro kicked the poor teen in the gut, cackling with glee as his King rolled down the mountain of treats. Then, he leaped forward, sliding down the sweet slope on his stomach like a penguin, skidding to a halt beside the tired hybrid.

"I deserved that didn't I?" Mumbled the orangette, staring up at the ceiling.

 **"Meh."** Came the single reply.

"Thanks. I really enjoyed today." Ichigo turned his head to lock eyes with Shiro, who was sitting up with his legs crossed on a small cushion of candy. **"Yer welcome. Ya should probably get going. It's starting to get late."**

With that, the teen sat up and crawled over to the albino, giving his pale cheek a small peck. "Alright, I love you."

The Zanpakuto's usual psychotic grin of mockery became suddenly softer with golden eyes glowing with warmth. **"I love ya too."**

In the next instant, the orange haired hybrid woke up back in the park and under the tree, mildly disappointed that his curry was gone as he rose to his feet. The sun was setting as he grabbed his fedora, placing it back on his head as he began to make his way home. Meanwhile, a pair of violet eyes were watching.

* * *

 **Tripleberry au Lait is very _tasty_ , if you know what I mean.**

* * *

 **Here's a picture for the chapter. I drew this one before the last picture, so it isn't very good in quality.**

 **(copy and paste the link into a web search, then delete the spaces before hitting enter)**

fav. me /da 8offs

* * *

 **Verteller:** ... *quietly sips tea*


	15. Crack and Crumble

***Snicker* Well, this'll be fun...**

* * *

Chapter 15

 _ **'I'm telling ya, King. That teacher wants ya dead.'**_ Shiro cackled as Ichigo tiredly entered his apartment after a long day. The day following the couple's date was the first of college for the nineteen year old hybrid. Currently, the hollowfied Zanpakuto was having a riot, teasing the poor orangette about the various teachers he was stuck with for the rest of the year. Especially about the old physics professor who seems to be out to get the range haired teen.

 _'He doesn't want me dead. He probably just doesn't like my hair.'_ The teen thought assuredly. _'You know teachers usually don't. Besides, all he did was pick me to answer questions… While giving me the evil eye...'_

The albino scoffed at the pathetic argument as Ichigo dumped his red backpack on the floor near the front door before tiredly plopping down on his beige couch. Closing his cocoa brown eyes, and leaning his head back, the teen began to wonder how Renji was fairing with Rukia. He hoped that the pineapple head will have better luck with catching the eye of the petite Shinigami once they head back to the Soul Society today. To be honest, the orangette wasn't sure when they were leaving, so right before going to his college, he'd stopped by the Urahara Shoten that morning in order to drop off a list he'd made for Renji. The list included suggestions to possibly winning the heart of the Raven haired captain, including Chappy, lunch, Chappy, gift giving, Chappy, ice cream, Chappy, Kido challenges that Rukia would clearly win, Chappy, and did he mention Chappy?

Whatever happens, the orange haired hybrid wished the tattooed man the best of luck in his quest for love. Although, with Rukia's outburst back at the arcade, he was curious to know if she was ok. He wondered if the petite Shinigami was on her period or something with the mood swing. Did female Shinigami even have a time of the month? Last Ichigo checked, Soul Society had noble houses that had genuine blood lines, according to Urahara who was gracious enough to tell him about some of the noble houses, which meant that spirit women could get pregnant. Yet, is it through the same means as the living world or through a conversion of reiatsu and reiryoku, and if it's due to the latter, then could a man…?

 **"Okay, I'm gonna stop ya right there. Yer train of thought's getting weird."** Ichigo jolted forward, his eyes snapping open in startlement to see Shiro standing before him in his grinning glory with crossed arms. Yet, the most shocking part was the fact that the orange haired teen was still seated on his couch with a certain albino standing in his living room. Only the coffee table stood between the two. It took a minute for the teen to realize he'd been talking aloud, as well as process what had just happened.

"First of all, I was thinking to myself, not you. Second, didn't you say that you couldn't materialize on your own?" The orange haired hybrid frowned.

 **"I did. This ain't materialization, it's only a simple projection."** The pale Zanpakuto spirit explained. As a demonstration, he approached Ichigo, walking right through the coffee table before leaning forward to grab his hybrid Shinigami's hand. Except, his stark white fingers passed right through the tan hand as if he were made of air. Although,, the albino probably was air at this point.

"So, why didn't you do this yesterday, or any day before?" Asked the teen. A half-hearted shrug was ensued.

 **"Well, I it's not like I can do anything like this. Besides, as my King and wielder, only you can see and hear me. It's one thing for regular humans to think yer crazy, it's another if the plus souls start agreeing with them."** The orangette couldn't help, but agree to that.

"So, why're you here now?" He asked curiously, sensing that there was more to this sudden appearance. The hybrid could see that Shiro was tense despite the lazy smirk he wore on his pale face.

 **"For starters. I wanted to see yer reaction."** The hollowfied spirit cackled, as Ichigo rolled his eyes, but continued solemnly. " **As for the other reason, I'm pretty sure you already know. You've been fidgeting all day."**

Truth was spoken as even now, Ichigo was tapping his foot impatiently. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end and earlier, he had the urge to repeatedly look over his shoulder as he went from class to class.

 **"Hesitate and you will age. Retreat and you will die. Don't let paranoia control you."** Lectured the Zanpakuto spirit. The teen looked up at his alabaster lover with a slight frown as he considered the spoken words. "Then what should I do?"

The albino shook his head. **"That's up to you. Yer the King, not me. Just trust yer instincts, like I always tell ya."**

Nodding in understanding, the orange haired teen reached out his senses to see if he could find any hints of anything unusual in the area. However, what he found was Renji's reiryoku heading his way. Standing up and stretching, Ichigo strolled up to his front door as he tiredly scratched the back of his orange head, while Shiro took this opportunity to fade back into their inner world. Standing before the front door, the teen waited until Renji was standing right outside to open the door to a startled redhead, in spirit form, with one hand raised to knock. After a few moments of awkward silence, and of Ichigo and Shiro mentally laughing their asses off, the orangette finally decided to spare the walking pineapple from further embarrassment.

"Hey Renji, what's up?" The tattooed man hesitated, unsure if he should question the teen's timing or simply do what he came for. After another quiet moment, Renji went with the latter choice. "Have you seen Rukia?"

The orangette frowned, shaking his head in the negative. "What happened?" He asked.

"Well, we were suppose to head back to Seireitei a few hours ago, but Rukia had stepped out, saying she was going to get something and hasn't returned since. We've been looking for her, but nothing's come up. Not even on Urahara's scanners." Renji looked down, rubbing the back of his tattooed neck, betraying his nervousness. Ichigo immediately felt worry settle in and offered his assistance. He might not remember the bonds he's had, but after getting to know these people, he wanted to do what he could to protect them. Even if they were much older than him as well as have far more experience.

"Thanks Ichigo!" Exclaimed the ecstatic Shinigami as he shunpoed off, his Captain's haori railing behind him. Closing the door, Ichigo hurried into his bedroom, grabbing his Shinigami badge from the nightstand. After popping out, he gingerly laid his body onto his bed before leaving his apartment via window.

* * *

The late afternoon sun shined as the teen leaped from roof to roof, scanning the surrounding areas for clues to the missing midget with no luck in sight. Something prickled at the orangette's senses, causing him to turn his head towards the source.

"Ichiru!" Yoruichi called after him. She, like Uryu, alongside Urahara, Tessai, Ururu, Nobu, and Karin, prefered the new name in respect to the teens status as reincarnation, and so she called to him thusly. Ichiru nodded in acknowledgement as the Goddess of Flash fell into step with him.

"I assume you've heard?" Asked the ninja cat, over the roar of the air rushing past them. When she received a nod in return, she continued as they shunpoed onto the next building. "A Jigokucho (Hell butterfly) was just sent out from the Shoten. Kisuke's found some of his equipment missing, particularly some reiatsu-concealing cloaks. So, be careful. Whoever took the cloaks could be the same one who's hiding Rukia."

The orange haired teen thanked the cat lady, before veering off to continue his search. First, he went to the shopping district and saw Chad scouring every store that sold Chappy merchandise. Next, he passed the local high school, where he saw Yoruichi nce again, but in cat mode as she sniffed around the rooftop. The hybrid continued on his way, passing Orihime and Nobu scanning the Karakura park, as well as Urahara waiting patiently in front of his store. Reaching his senses out, Ichiru found Yuzu, and Karin stationed at the clinic while Isshin searched the neighborhood. Meanwhile, Tessai, Ururu, and Jinta were spread out near the edge of town.

Soon, the teen came upon a large area of forest near an abandoned part of town. Landing on the ground, the orange haired hybrid was met with Uryu, who was walking around the area.

"Anything?" Asked the orangette, only to receive a negative shake of the head. The Quincy seemed to fidget as he peered around the area as he approached the Shinigami hybrid. "Well, since you're here, perhaps we can continue our search together? It'll help make sure that we don't miss anything in our search."

Ichiru considered the proposition and almost agreed. Almost. "Nah, I think it'd be faster if we continued searching separately."

The teen turned towards the forest as the archer tried to protest, but it was in vain as the orangette shunpoed into the forest. Taking to the trees, the hybrid scanned the forest floor as he occasionally called out to the missing midget in hopes of getting some sort of response in return.

* * *

Hours later, the orange haired teen descended to the ground and began to walk, pretty sure that he'd made a complete countless times. Checking the locations of the others' reiryokus, he could tell that they were just as unsuccessful. Everyone was still scattered and moving throughout town. Plus, Ichiru was pretty sure that there would've been a spike in someone's reiatsu if they'd found anything. Growling in frustration, the teen turned to leave the woods, when Shiro roared in his head. _**'DUCK!'**_

The orange haired teen was already ahead of him as he dropped into a readied crouch as something flew over his head, just missing the top of his shoulder-length hair. Looking up, Ichiru found what looked like a fang, the size of a baseball, embedded into the trunk of the tree to the left of him. Narrowing his deep brown eyes, the orangette cautiously stood up, only to shunpo to the left in order to avoid another fang that flew at his back. Growling, he began to race through the forest, dodging projectiles left and right, confused that he couldn't sense any reiryoku, much less reiatsu, in the area. Speeding across the forest floor, the teen came to a dead halt once he came to a clearing illuminated by the setting sun, instincts screaming danger.

On the other side of the clearing was a petite figure cloaked in black with the hood drawn up.

"Ichigo!" It was Rukia. The petite Shinigami threw back her hood, allowing some of her reiatsu to leak out of, what Ichiru could only assume was, the reiatsu-concealing cloak she was wearing. Violet eyes gleamed in the low bleeding light, swirling with an unnaturalness that set the teen on edge.

"I have it Ichigo!" Shouted the raven-haired girl in glee as she slowly approached the orangette. "I can finally cure you!"

"What?" Ichiru was baffled, hoping Shiro had an answer, but the pale Zanpakuto was equally confused. The raven-haired midget shook her head in annoyance.

"Idiot!" She snapped, momentarily resembling her usual self before melting into a sickly sweet smile. "Don't worry, I'll fix your amnesia. You'll feel better soon." Rukia explained gleefully. Dread boiled in the frozen teens gut as she continued to slowly step closer and closer.

"Wait! I'm fine, I don-" Ichiru desperately tried, backing up once he'd found his voice, but was interrupted by a loud screech.

"No no no no! You're not fine, stupid!" Raged the petite Shinigami, stomping her foot like a spoiled child. "You've lost your memory. You're smiling so much, I never see you scowl anymore. You can control your reiatsu when you never could before. And you're too relaxed about being insulted! You. Are. SICK!"

With that, Rukia pulled out a small black and white pill from the folds of her sleeve and began to approach the orangette with a look of crazed determination on her face. ' _ **What are you doing partner? If you just stand there, I'll kill you!'**_

Shiro's echoing words snapped Ichiru out of his horrified daze. The teen turned and shunpoed as fast as he could out of the area, weaving through the dense tree branches. _'Sorry! I just- I don't…'_

 _ **'Stop letting paranoia control you.'**_ The Zanpakuto spoke calmly trying to ease the fleeing hybrid, wishing that it was some stranger rather than a close friend that was pursuing them. As the orangette began to reach the halfway point towards the edge of the forest, he suddenly had to leap back as another large fang suddenly flew out of nowhere. The teen veered off course, trying to get above the treeline, only to be forced to duck and dive as countless more fang began to whizz past and around him. Zig zagging through the trees, Ichiru continued to flee from a mad Rukia while avoiding the strange flying obstacles.

 _'Where the hell are these things coming from?'_ He thought as another fang grazed the red scales on his left shoulder pad. Racing through the trees, with a certain Shinigami on his heels, the orangette finally made it to the edge of the tree line. Refusing to draw his sword against his friend, he took to the rooftops of nearby buildings. Unfortunately, the peculiar projectiles continued their assault as Ichiru shunpoed his way to a construction site in an attempt to evade Rukia. He wove his way around the support beams, climbing higher on the skeleton of metal.

The sun had set at this point, and night was the coming hour as Ichiru finally flared his reiatsu. The teen could sense the others quickly approaching as he leaped to a higher beam when suddenly, a hot pink cero blasted from his left. Caught off guard, the orange haired hybrid stumbled backwards onto the previous beam to avoid getting charred, only to regret his action as soon as small, slender arms wrapped around his neck from behind, shoving the dreaded capsule into his mouth. The black and white pill rested expectantly on his tongue as tried spit it out as he desperately tried to pry the petite figure off of him. However, Rukia was covering his mouth with one hand while the other reached down, grabbing at his neck before digging her nails into tanned flesh. With a gasp of pain, the pill slid down Ichiru's throat to settle in his stomach.

He had swallowed.

"Yes!" Rukia cheered, hopping off of the teen's back before shunpoing in front of him. "Don't you feel better? Now it'll be just like the good old days, but first we need to get you a haircut." The Shinigami captain had her arms crossed as she nodded to herself, no doubt envisioning the orangette's old hairstyle in place of his current shoulder-length tresses. Yet Ichiru wasn't listening.

Instead, he felt frozen as a sick burning sensation began to crawl from the pit of his stomach to his brain. His head throbbed as something began to claw its way out of his soul, the pain increasing by the second as his guts felt like they were being shredded from the inside, blood roared in his ears while his heart pounded like a war drum. Suddenly, he was standing before the chained closet within his mindscape, the room replaced by an endless void. The chains rattled violently as cracks appeared on the door. A roar from inside, like that of a raging tsunami, grew louder and louder until the closet burst open. Then, he screamed.

All he could feel was pain as it exploded within his head. His immense reiatsu spiraled out of control, becoming a visible color that constantly switched between red and blue, crushing the surrounding area. The skeletal structure collapsed under the pressure, sinking into a growing crater. Ichiru was engulfed as pain roared into overdrive, not registering the impact once he crashed into the ground several hundred feet below. The teen laid sprawled on his side, clawing at his head, scratching open his chest while screams of agony were torn out of his throat as memory after memory was shoved back into his mind.

He was blind to the world as he relived the gruesome death of his mother at the hands of Grande Fisher. He watched as he once again laid in a dying heap as Rukia was sent back to Soul Society to get executed. He relived his life through all five senses as he saw the ground become painted with a deadly scarlet, smelling the pungent iron. Happy moments flashed by as well, the relief after a resolved crisis, the simple moments of pure content in between, but they were drowned out by the cries of mindless hollows and anguish alike. The pain of every injury he'd ever sustained coursed through his body.

His shoulder screamed from being ripped open by Renji's Zabimaru, torso throbbing from getting sliced almost completely in half by Aizen, while his chest howled from the memory of Ulquiorra carving his heart out with a searing cero. A hurricane of other wounds moaned in reminiscence of their past existence. The pain rampage wildly, accompanied by the despair brought on by Tsukishima, Yhwach, and countless others. Meanwhile, memories of Zangetsu were the worst. They stabbed and twisted their way through Ichiru's mind, body, and soul.

The old man he respected, the hollow he feared. Looking back, the evidence of Shiro Zangetsu's loyalty and true intent were painfully obvious. Ichiru could feels sobs add to his tortured cries, or were they already there? The blade of truth twisted again and again, once for every time Shiro Zangetsu gave him an obvious clue to his identity, every piece of advice disguised as an insult, and for every minute that Ichiru dared to hate his soulmate. By now, the teen could register nothing but burning sorrow, even his own screams began to fall on deaf ears.

Reaching out, Ichiru was desperate to find something, anything to ease the drowning misery. Digging into his soul, he latched onto pure white and pulled. A soothing warmth creeped into his mind, caressing his hair. Was someone calling him? He didn't know nor cared as sweet relief, accompanied by serene silence, finally wrapped him in tranquil darkness.

* * *

 **Verteller:**...

 **Shiro & Ichigo: ***Bursts into the room*

 **Shiro:** WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!

 **Ichigo:** Why?! Just, why?!

 **Verteller:** What? It could've been worse.

 **Shiro:** Oh, really?

 **Verteller:** Yup. Ichigo could've been beheaded, crushed, ripped apart, disintegrated, enslaved, raped, turned into a sex slave, brainwashed, driven insane, tongue ripped out, burned alive, frozen to death, forced to kill his lover (Shiro), diseased, poisoned-

 **Ichigo:** OK WE GET IT!

 **Verteller:** ...

 **Shiro & Ichigo:** ...

 **Verteller:** Could've been castrated...

 **Shiro & Ichigo: **Argh!

* * *

 **I'm ready for the possible hate. Do your worst.**


	16. Shattering

**Alright, calm your tits. (I'm looking at you Mirai-chan, put those knives away.)**

* * *

Chapter 16

Shiro Zangetsu gritted his teeth while dread clawed at his chest as he observed his King racing through the trees from their inner world. He paced anxiously across the sideways building as the teen reached a construction site. Something was wrong with that Rukia chick, that much was obvious to the albino. He knew that his own mentality can be quite questionable to multiple people due to his bloodthirsty nature and insane style of fighting, but the Shinigami midget just seemed… glitched. Suddenly, the Zanpakuto spirit was torn from his thoughts as a low rumble echoed, an earthquake crashed its way into the world of sideways skyscrapers, ripping through the the fabric of the mind. The King had swallowed the pill.

The skyscrapers shook, cracked and crumbled as gravity flipped. Zangetsu leaped between massive falling chunks of concrete whilst they fell as he fought to stay on top, weaving his reiatsu into the air in a desperate attempt to reconstruct the collapsing realm, but it was in vain as the seals on the mindscape's closet broke free, allowing memories to flood forth. The lone Zanpakuto spirit felt rage course through his being as Ichiru's tortured cries reached him. Despair once again flooded the world in rushing water, reducing the crumbling skyscrapers to a meager replica of Karakura, just like during the Winter War. Yet, the shriveling chaos continued as even more, painful memories, crashed down to reduce the town to apocalyptic ruin.

Zangetsu swore under his breath as he fought the current to stand upright, high above the shattered landscape. The streets were cracked, splitting into endless canyons, sick brown corruption oozed out of rotten black plants, and the fish that accompanied the flood were nothing more than drifting bones. The Hollowfied Zanpakuto called out to his King over their mental link, but was met with screaming static. Gritting teeth in frustration with clenched fists, the pale spirit pushed against the ocean, raising his reiatsu to grapple with the current. Suddenly, he jolted as a call rang through the mindscape. Molten gold on ebony eyes widen as something desperately tugged at his being, Ichiru calling out with his soul, searching for something, someone.

Zangetsu latched onto the pull, pushing to aid his wielder. His vision shifted and he was standing in the Living Realm, as solid as a spirit could be. The remains of the collapsed construction site lay in devastation around him, surrounding a clearing big enough for a small parking lot. At the center was Ichiru, curled on his side whilst crying out blindly in pain, his reiatsu thrashing like a hurricane, so heavy that Rukia lay unconscious with her body draped over a fallen beam while the surrounding buildings cracked under the immense pressure, some even crumbling at the edges. The alabaster being quickly knelt by the orange haired teen, grabbing his wrists, to prevent the hybrid from clawing himself any further, in his right hand while sitting the teen up and supporting his back with the left.

 **"Ichi. Go to sleep King. I'll hold onto the crown for you."** Zangetsu spoke softly into the orangette's ear, pouring his reiatsu into the teen to relax his body and heal the self-inflicted wound. The albino ran pale fingers through sunset colored hair in a comforting manner whilst using his left arm to coddle the teen to his chest. The spirit pressed a chaste kiss to a tanned forehead, humming in relief as Ichiru finally quieted down to shaky breathing, enraptured by dreamless sleep. The flow of wild reiatsu slowed to a gentle breeze as the pale Zanpakuto finally calmed down his wielder so that they could be reached by their group. Hugging the teen closer to his chest, Zangetsu frowned as he shifted so that his crouched form rested on the balls of his feet.

In a flash, the albino's right hand shot forward and grabbed a baseball-sized fang inches from Ichiru's face. Shunpoing backwards a few feet, he growled as three more fangs appeared, imbedded into the ground he was kneeling on before.

"How dare you! That's _my_ prey you fucking hollow!" A screeching voice echoed in the air, quickly followed by a creature leaping down from a metal beam that had landed vertically into the ground. The thing wore a reiatsu concealing cloak, just like Rukia, so Zangetsu could only make out bits and pieces of the figure under the black material. Emerald green eyes with regular white sclera flashed angrily beneath what appeared to be a bone mask, but it was hard to tell as a majority of its face was concealed by a high collar and low hood. The right shoulder was protruding, as if the midnight cloth was draped over a large spoke, while ivory claws peeked out at the feet. Finally, a bone white scorpion tail was slipping out from beneath the cloak, swishing and twirling along the ground behind the crouched figure.

 **"Hollow? It seems like yer one yerself, to me."** Snarled the albino as he grinned mockingly, his eyes glaring ceros as he tightened his grip on Ichiru protectively. The thing, in return, screeched loudly in rage.

"No! I'm a Fullbringer, not some fucking hollow shit! I'm not! I'm not! I'm not!" She ranted as the tip of her tail angrily dragged through the dirt ground, he feminine pitch convincing the Zanpakuto spirit of her gender for now. "I'm not one of you! You can't fool me you pathetic excuse for a weak-ass hollow! I know you're hiding your hole and mask like the fucking coward you are!"

The figure howled, her tail thrashing back and forth as she wildly shook her head. Zangetsu was internally laughing at this point. Weak? Coward? Him? He could think of countless ways to rip into this girl for ever entertaining such ideas, and watch her expression as he bathed in her blood. If anything, she was the hypocritical coward for ever attempting to attack an unconscious Ichiru. Yet that begs the question, who is she, and why does she want his King dead? The Zanpakuto spirit was snapped out of his thoughts when the self-proclaimed Fullbringer leaped forward in a burst of Bringer Light, green light trailing after her, as she twisted her body in mid-air to lash out with her tail, a deadly gleam of the rising moon glinting off its bone casing.

Hooking his right arm under Ichiru's knees to carry him bridal style, the pale faced spirit shunpoed to the side to avoid the oncoming stinger. He turned to face his attacker, only to find a cold blade pressed to his throat. Zangetsu cursed for forgetting about the midget when he spotted the crazed Rukia gripping the hilt of her sword to his right.

"You." She hissed, her voice dripping with obsessive ire. "You'll pay for touching my Ichigo."

Those words had the Hollowfied Zanpakuto burst into enraged laughter before suddenly vanishing from reality, causing Rukia to blink in confusion. Time seemed to slow as Ichiru's unconscious body began to fall once more to the ground, when his eyes suddenly snapped open to reveal golden pools on black sclera, a snarling grin spreading across his face. Possessing the Hybrid's body, Zangetsu twisted so he'd land like a cat, crouched on the ground before shunpoing behind Rukia, bringing down his black Trench knife on the petite Shinigami. The raven haired girl shrieked in pain, stumbling forward, once the blunt side of the short blade met with her back. Meanwhile, the Zanpakuto had to refrain from wincing as he clutched his chest with his free right hand, their hollow mask slowly forming on the left side of his face. He could feel the inner turmoil still swirling within their unstable soul and is surprised he could shunpo at all, although it was far slower than he should be.

Turning his attention back to the unknown enemy, he sidestepped to the right just in time to dodge five more "fangs" that were shot out of the figure's tail, five empty slots along the spine of the curling appendage revealing their origin. Zangetsu's grin grew impossibly wide as he dashed forward towards the standing figure, throwing his Trench knife forward like a kunai knife at the Fullbringer's (?) covered head. The figure ducked down, allowing the black blade to sail harmlessly above her, but the possessed hybrid merely shunpoed behind her, swiftly catching the short blade with his left hand while bringing down his massive Khyber knife to strike the fucking bitch. However, a tremor ran through his body, forcing his right arm to involuntarily falter as it came down. The Hollowfied Zanpakuto cursed internally as he rolls to the right, to avoid the scorpion tail as it lashes out at him, before swiftly standing and delivering a roundhouse kick to the cloaked form's head, successfully throwing her several feet to the right.

"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" Rukia called out from behind the Zanpakuto spirit. Zangetsu leaped high into the air as he sheathed the Trench knife, the freezing attack creating a row of ice beneath him. As gravity began draw the possessed teen back to earth, he flipped backwards, falling head down and pointed, with his free left hand, at the petite Shinigami, firing a small crimson cero at her feet to create an explosion. With a wild scream, the midget was thrown against a fallen steel beam, scorch marks marring her face and clothes as she crumpled into a heap. Smirking in minor victory, Zangetsu twisted upright as he gingerly landed on the massive row of protruding ice before quickly leaping to the ground. Turning quickly, the Hollowfied spirit scanned the area for the other one.

Following instinct's lead, he looked back up at the ice, finding his target in mid leap with a clawed right hand extended towards his head. The Zanpakuto smirked with confidence as he stood tall, glee shined in gold on obsidian eyes while his hollow mask continuing to creep over Ichiru's face, framed by shoulder-length pumpkin orange. Emerald eyes widened in surprise and the Fullbringer leaped back in a bust of Bringer Light, halting her attack as glowing light blue arrows whizzed past her face.

"You seem to be having your hands full." Zangetsu snickered at the sarcastic tone and lazily cocked his head to the side, peering out of the corner of his eyes up at Uryu who proudly stood atop a fallen steel beam, Quincy bow out and drawn back. Orihime came up behind him, zipping past the Quincy in bursts of Bringer Light and raced to the collapsed Rukia's side.

 **"Careful Hime. The midget's mind is being influenced."** The Zanpakuto called out to the healer as he watched the cloaked figure dance around the clearing to avoid reshi arrows, wincing internally as another tremor ripped through his body. Sheathing the large Khyber sword, Zangetsu released a calm breath and he closed his eyes, allowing the mask to dissipate as he relinquished control. No longer possessed, Ichiru's unconscious body slumped forward, only to be caught by stark white arms as the pale spirit immediately materialized before him. After hoisting the fallen teen up to carry him bridal style, the albino turned his head and spotted Urahara approaching with Yoruichi in tow.

"Ma ma! Greetings Zangetsu-san! Fancy seeing you out and about." The shopkeeper spoke cheerfully, waving his fan around, an edge of concern glinting in his eyes. To be honest, Zangetsu was glad that he was recognized, considering it's been roughly twenty years since the first and last time he'd ever been materialized, and it would save him the trouble of explaining his appearance, but he couldn't dwell on that now.

 **"That thing seems like a hollow yet uses Bringer Light like a Fullbringer. Somehow she's influencing Rukia's mind and got the midget to force King to remember his life as Kurosaki Ichigo. She used a black and white pill, sound familiar?** " The Zanpakuto spirit quickly explained to the mad genius, his usual smirk temporarily absent while Urahara's eyes hardened as he exchanged a troubled look with Yoruichi.

"How's Ichiru?" Asked the feline, glancing at the enemy who was still busy leaping about to avoid oncoming reshi arrows. Zangetsu growled. **"He's unstable, both mentally and spiritually, but I can heal him with just a little time."**

Suddenly, a high-pitched scream echoed into the night, causing the three to look up in alarm. On the other side of the clearing, Orihime let's loose a strangled cry as a glittering white blade, stained scarlet, is ripped out of her stomach, slicing halfway through her torso. The healer collapses, wide eyed in frozen horror, in a growing pool of her own blood, leaving a standing Rukia. Crimson essence splattered her pale face as her violet eyes glowed with an intense insanity, her stained sword gripped in slender hands. A sinister smile was drawn on her face, showcasing magnificent maliciousness. Uryu ceased his barrage of arrows, petrified with shock at the turn of events, allowing his target to reappear next to the petite Shinigami, revealing herself to be three heads taller than the Thirteenth Squad Captain.

"Rukia-cha~n!" The figure cooed, no doubt grinning under her high collar as she tickled Rukia's chin with her clawed right hand. "We at least partially succeeded, so let's go home for now, neh?"

A look of hypnotic joy crossed the petite Captain's face, her violet eyes drooping with a lazy grin, as if induced with a pleasant dream. "Yes Sandra-sama!"

She practically sang before turning her gaze towards the unconscious orangette, giggling like a drunkard. "Don't worry Ichigo! I'll save you!"

With a final laugh, the two vanished into the night. Yoruichi immediately gave chase, disappearing in a burst of shunpo to track them down as Urahara rushed to Orihime's side, already activating healing Kido to halt the bleeding as much as possible. Meanwhile, Uryu seemed torn on what to do. He turned, as if he would join the chase, before shaking his head and rushing to his fallen wife's side. Zangetsu stood a few feet away, checking on Ichiru's condition before approaching the group once he deemed his Shinigami hybrid was as stable as he could be on his own.

 **"Where are Chad and Renji? Shouldn't they have been here?"** The Zanpakuto inquired, figuring it easier to ask all at once rather than to checking on their reiryoku then asking for reasons. The Ex-Shinigami kept his eyes trained on the task at hand as he answered. "Chad returned to the shoten with Nobu. Renji had decided to continue the search alongside Ururu and Jinta while we came to check on Kurokatu-san."

The shopkeeper explained. The albino remained silent as he turned to look up at the merciless moon, drifting in a speckled black. He wanted to take his King's crown so bad, only temporarily, and race after this "Sandra" person to rip her apart, but he couldn't. This isn't like with Ulquiorra, where he could do some damage, heal Ichigo, then be on his merry way. This time, Ichiru doesn't know Rukia's condition, thus doesn't have the motivation of fighting to save a friend to bring him back from the brink. This time, he might give in to the prospect of eternal rest once more, and Zangetsu refuses to let that happen. Not again. Scowling at the moon, glowing mockingly bright, the Hollowfied Zanpakuto cursed fate for dumping so much on his King's shoulders, knowing full well that this is neither the first, nor the last time that he would do so.

* * *

A sliding door shut with an audible clatter within the Urahara Shoten, leaving Zangetsu to sit on his knees as Ichiru lay motionless on a futon. The shop was then dead silent. After checking on the orangette's conditions, Urahara retreats into his lab in order to analyze the new threat with whatever information he had available. Not only that, Orihime was moved to the Kurosaki clinic, having needed better medical equipment in order to keep her stable, with Uryu and Nobu joining to watch over her. Elsewhere, Yoruichi, joined by Renji, Ururu, and Jinta, stayed out to look for clues as both Rukia and the Sandra character managed to escape thanks to their stolen reiatsu concealing cloaks. In the meantime, Tessai stood at the front to keep watch of the shop.

Sighing, the lone Zanpakuto spirit faded out of reality to dive into the flooded mindscape before quickly making his way towards where he knew he'd find his King. As he moved through the swirling water above the crumbling ruins, he began to wish that the Old Man was here to handle this delicate situation. With that ancient brain of his, the Old Quincy could easily handle Ichigo's mentality while the Hollowfied Zanpakuto focused on his King's power by acting as an opponent to push him to become stronger, but now, the sarcasm and threats would clearly put a strain on Ichiru's mind. Thinking back, the albino could still remember that day, twenty years ago. The day fate decided to say "Fuck you" before horribly screwing up everything…

 _… Zangetsu stood atop one of Ichigo's many sideways skyscrapers with the Quincy manifestation standing silently beside him. In the sky, Yhwach's tendrils of corrupt power clawed their way into the mindscape, bent on ripping the spirits away from their wielder. The dripping black cracked and rippled the graying tilted sky, perverting the King's domain. The alabaster being was in his Bankai/Vasto Lorde form with his black horned mask, waist length hair, and long white coat with black fur trim. Gripping his inverted Bankai sword with a white center and black edge, he was prepared to leap into battle, only to find the Old Man standing before him and a glowing blue blade run through his chest. He felt shock and betrayal as darkness seeped into his vision, then confused as he collapsed to the ground and witness, through his slowly fading sight, the Manifestation's shadow cloak extended to form, what looked like, an empty replica of the albino._

 _Too confused to create a coherent thought as he slipped away, the Zanpakuto could've sworn it was the end as his consciousness gave way to black. However, in what felt like the next second, he was dragged from a dreamless sleep by Ichigo drawing upon his powers. He finally saw the truth as he awakened alive and very much alone. The pale being could feel the Old man's power fluctuate under his control as the Elder's parting words came to him. "Forgiving give me for stealing your rightful name_. _I pray you find understanding as I leave the rest to you."..._

...Zangetsu shook the distant memory from his thoughts as he continued on through the watery ruins of decay, following Ichiru's faint trail of reiatsu. Finally, he found his King, floating on his back as he drifting aimlessly through the water, the flow currently moving him above a deep chasm. The teen was in a deep slumber, hidden from any memories of everything, even his own name. Easing up to the drifting form, the faithful Zanpakuto spirit gingerly wrapped his pale arms around his King's chest, before shunpoing away from the chasm. Finding a cleared area on the "seafloor", the pale being sat down, leaning against a broken concrete wall, and pulled the sleeping teen closer.

Hugging the Shinigami hybrid, so Ichiru's back was against his chest, Zangetsu nuzzled orange hair, floating in the water. He began to seep his reiatsu into the motionless form, coaxing the teen back to wakefulness. Closing his brilliant gold eyes, the Zanpakuto fell into a meditative state as he focused on his King. All the while, he wondered if Ichiru would ever forgive him. Was that choice, twenty years ago, a mistake?

* * *

 **Shiro:**... What?

 **Verteller:** Say hello to your new villain.

 **Ichigo:** Who and why?

 **Shiro:** We don't even see their face. Also, why Rukia?

 **Verteller:** Why not?

 **Ichigo:** And why is the old man gone?

 **Verteller:** Why not?

 **Ichigo:** You're terrible.

 **Verteller:** *shrugs*

* * *

 **The next chapter is extra long for reasons. So, it's going to definitely take awhile to get it posted. Hope you're up for some time traveling.**


	17. Memory Lane

**Trời ơi, this took forever to write. Wa~y longer than anticipated and having a lot homework doesn't help. Anyways, TIME FOR FLASHBACKS!**

* * *

Chapter 17

 **20 years ago...**

Beep… beep… beep...

 _Zangetsu stared up at the ceiling in utter boredom as he sat in a stiff chair beside Ichigo's hospital bed. The room was relatively quiet, besides the continuous beeping of a heart monitor, as the orangette's group of friends had finally left to allow Ichigo to rest after being introduced to the Hollowfied Zanpakuto spirit. Now, he was left fiddled with a red band of metal wrapped around his wrist, given to him by Urahara in order to stabilize his materialized state, without relying on the reiatsu needed to heal his injured wielder. The teen couldn't be healed by Orihime, like usual, as Yhwach's reiatsu is to vast for the healer to reverse any wounds caused by the Quincy King's direct attacks._

 _Looking away from the ceiling, the albino could the seventeen year old teen listlessly watching his heart monitor to his right, away from the Zanpakuto. The Shinigami laid calmly with the blanket pulled up to his chest, over his hospital clothes. A few quiet moments passed before the alabaster figure tsked._ _ **"If yer gonna insist on keeping me materialized, ya could at least pay attention to me."**_

 _"Huh?" The orangette turned his head and blinked as if he was just now noticing the pale spirit's presence. "Oh. Well you don't have to be here if you don't want to."_

 _The hollow scoffed at the notion, rolling his gold on ebony eyes. **"Still as bright as ever arncha? Where would I go? Everyone's either too injured or too busy rebuilding the Seireitei."**_

 _"FINE! Go back to the inner world then!" Snapped the Substitute Shinigami, too tired from everything to deal with this. Silence hung in the air as Zangetsu stared at the floor with his arms crossed, his snowy hair shadowing over his dark eyes. He didn't want to be there. Not now. Not with that unnatural quiet permeating the deathly emptiness within the mindscape. He could feel the teen's questioning gaze, but remained soundless for the rest of the day._

* * *

 _Two days later, five days since the end of the war, and Zangetsu was still seated beside Ichigo. He flat out ignored Ichigo's friends, whenever they attempted to converse with him again, preferring to gaze motionlessly out the window to his left, prompting them to finally leave him alone. Now, the porcelain faced spirit continued to sit vigil over his injured King._

 _"Hey." The albino looked up to be met with the orangette's usual scowl. Yet, it seemed more relaxed, exhausted even, as the teen observed the hollowfied Zanpakuto spirit. "What do you do in the mindscape while I'm out here?"_

 _Zangetsu tilted his head to the right as he pondered the question. Honestly, he didn't really do much, but he supposed he could relay what little he did do._ ** _"Sometimes I practice my abilities. Sometimes I wander around, among the various skyscrapers. Mostly, I just observe the world through your eyes, waiting for you to call on me for battle."_**

 _Ichigo nodded, a pained look of regret flashed in his brown eyes. The albino sighed with annoyance in return._ ** _"Don't gimme that look. Most, if not all, Zanpakuto are like that."_**

 _Once again, silence drifted between the two. Feeling bored, Zangetsu wished that his stupid King could use instant regeneration so they could leave this dull place already, but Ichigo still lacked the level of instinctual control needed to activate the hollow ability_ without going into either bankai or full Hybrid mode, which requires a lot of energy that he still needs to recover.  
 _Shaking his head, the pale Sword spirit turned in his seat to look back out the nearby window, overlooking the Seireitei's Squad Four barracks._ ** _"Look, quit worrying King. Just get better already."_**

* * *

 _"Please, get well soon Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime shyly waved, like she always did after a visit, as she followed the rest of the group out of the hospital room. After six days, since the war's end, Ichigo's friends finally got an update on the various Captains and Lieutenants, whom the group has yet to see again as they became drowned in work. Now, the orangette was left alone to dwell on the information relayed to him, with an annoyed albino for company. Zangetsu knew that his wielder's caring for others was part of what drove him forward, yet couldn't help but feel as if that caring was laying a heavy weight upon the teen's shoulders, like now._

 _Yes, it's upsetting for many that the Captain Commander, Genryusai Yamamoto, died in combat. That Ukitake died, Izuru died, Unohana, Nemu, Sasakibe, the lieutenant of the Second Squad, along with thousands of other Shinigami. It's also upsetting to know that Byakuya has retired early due to damaged organs, refusing Orihime's healing ability, and is set to die in another month or two; Komamura has been reduced to the form of a helpless dog, while Ikkaku is left with a permanently broken Bankia. However, to Zangetsu, that doesn't mean Ichigo should drown his inner realm with sorrow. Although the news that Yachiru, revealed to be Kenpachi's Zanpakuto spirit, is leaving the Gotei isn't a surprise, nor something to be upset about. Then again, being a Zanpakuto himself, the albino already knew that Yachiru was Nozarashi the first time they crossed blades._

 _A burst of coughing tore the albino from his thoughts. Snapping his head up, he saw Ichigo clutching his bandaged chest, covered by his hospital shirt, as he coughed violently into a fist. Rising to his feet, the alabaster being eased the teen into a sitting position, rubbing circles on his back to soothe the orangette. As the fit died down, Zangetsu poured a little reiatsu into his wielder to soothe the teen's throat._

 _"Thanks… Uh… Zangetsu." The bedridden Hybrid spoke. The Zanpakuto's name hesitantly uttered, understandable considering that Ichigo only learned the truth about a week ago. Looking over the Substitute Shinigami, Zangetsu frowned as he began to notice dark circles rimming dulled brown eyes. Rather than being bright and spiky, the teen's hair was faded and drooping. Even his skin was paler than normal._

 _ **"How do ya feel?"** Questioned the albino as he sat on the edge of the bed. Ichigo shrugged sluggishly, shoulders hunched as he stared blankly at the pristine hospital sheets. "Tired I guess… You think I still have to fight hollows when I get out?"_

 _Zangetsu blinked at the question. He mildly wondered what the orangette could be thinking, but is unable to read his wielder's mind whilst being in the outer realm. So instead, he gently laid the teen back down before answering. **"Probably, but that doesn't matter. Ya need to move forward and forge yer path. Remember what the old man keeps telling ya. 'Hesitate, you will age. Retreat, you will die.'"**_

 _"R-retreat, huh?" Ichigo breathed out shakily as he closed his eyes. A minute past before slow, steady breathing indicated his descent into sleep. With only the unconscious teen's breathing and continuous beeps of the heart monitor disturbing the silence, Zangetsu returned to his seat next to the bed, after pulling the orange haired Hybrid's blanket back up to his chest. Crossing his arms over his chest and tilting his face towards the afternoon sky out the window, the albino though about his wielder's question. He knew that the war is taking its toll on Ichigo, both mentally and physically, but even he, the Zanpakuto spirit who lives within the orange head's mind and soul, wasn't sure how high the price was. So, he sat, patiently waiting for his King to return to his trusty steed._

* * *

 _It was the dead of the night, the room only illuminated by the crescent moon out the window, with the sounds of soft breathing and monotone beeps filling the air. It was calm, just like every other night, yet Zangetsu felt as if a ticking time bomb was counting down the final hour. Gold on obsidian eyes peered around the darkened room cautiously as his snowy neck hairs stood on end. Fear wasn't something he enjoyed, but it was the instincts that dominated as self-preservation, and now it was forcing dread to course through his veins. Suddenly, a high pitched squeal ran through the room, causing the pale spirit to leap to his feet and stare straight at the screaming heart monitor. Ichigo's heart had stopped._

 _Light flooded the room as Squad Four members burst into the room, shouting medical procedures while swarming around their patient. Someone approached Zangetsu, asking him questions, but he stood frozen as he stared at his motionless King. In the next instant, he rips off the red band, stabilizing his materialized state, from his stark white wrist before diving into the inner world. Once there, he lands on a sideways skyscraper and scans around frantically. The air was clear, but the buildings trembled ever so slightly as small cracks appeared here and there. The Zanpakuto spirit noted the colossal structures' as he blitzed towards where he knew he would find the orange haired teen._

 _He found Ichigo in his normal Shinigami attire, the armor and swords haphazardly thrown to the side, while lying facedown on the building's side. Rushing to the teen's side, Zangetsu carefully flipped him over, using his left arm to support the Substitute Shinigami's back. As the orangette was raised to a sitting position, he began to hack violently, blood staining his teeth and dribbling down his chin. Glassy eyes fluttered open, unfocused, before lazily sliding to rest on golden orbs within a sea of black. Each second tearing a ragged breath from weakening lungs._

 _The pale spirit clenched his teeth, lowering his face to shadow his eyes as he gripped his fallen King closer to himself. He hated it, wanting to deny it so bad that he'd ignored it before, but the truth laid bare before him. Zangetsu could feel the exhaustion radiating from Ichigo. Yet he could see the resolve emanating from that exhaustion. Not the willingness to give up, but the determination to drive one's sword into the ground and declare that enough was enough._

 _"S-sorry… Zangetsu." The Hollowfied Spirit looked up in surprise at the sickly teen. In return, Ichigo turned and tiredly pressed his fevered forehead against a pale shoulder. The Hybrid draped his left arm over the Zanpakuto's other shoulder, half hugging, half leaning on the albino. "Sorry."_

 _"I wasn't… a very good King to you." Another cough racked the teen's body._

Wait

 _"I don't mind if you hate me. I-I deserve it… After what I've done to you." More blood dripped from a gasping mouth, staining alabaster cloth._

Stop

 _"I wish I had more time to get to know you. A second chance. Maybe… maybe even be friends, but… I'm j-just… so… tired…"_

Don't Leave Me

 _Zangetsu opened his mouth to speak, to shout, to say anything to his King, but it was too late. A final sigh passed pink lips and the world burst. Every cloud, building, and even the sky itself exploded into particles, dissolving into a midnight void. The albino stared in horror as he sat in the dark oblivion, witnessing Ichigo's spiritual body beginning to glow with a soft pale light. Then, dissipated until all that was left an orb, the size of a volleyball, flickering with a warm orange glow. A Kibu Tamashi, the base of the spiritual body and source of reiryoku within every being._

 _Zangetsu could feel himself being released into his true form. His hair extending to his waist, ivory claws growing at the tips of his fingers and toes, and a snow white coat with ebony fur trimming replacing his Shihakusho. An obsidian horned hollow mask, with silver stripes going through the eyeholes, rested over his face and wrapped around his head. However, this went ignored as he watched the soul of King, without a mind, body, nor spirit to bind them all together, began to drift upwards. No doubt, to the Soul King to be reincarnated as a completely different being with no connection to the last life._

 _A tugging pulled at the Zanpakuto's core. He knew that he himself was to return to the City of Blades, under the God, Namaiya's, rule. He knew he would go to wait to be reforged and return to his King's sol as a new blade, if he's ever reawakened. He knew, thanks to the knowledge ingrained in all Zanpakutou spirits. He knew, and he rejected it all._

 _With a savage growl, baring his sharpened teeth, Zangetsu leaped to his feet and blitzed to Ichigo's Kibu Tamashi. Wrapping pale arms around the warm orb, he turned his body, placing himself between his King and the force beckoning the soul. He gasped slightly, the invisible pressure clawing through him to wretch Ichigo out of his grasp, but pulled forward as the Kibu Tamashi in his arms emanate a soothing warmth, as if welcoming the intervention. The hollowfied spirit wrapped his immense reiatsu around the soul as a blanket to shield against the insistent call._

 _ **"Stupid King. Ya always gotta be in a shit ton of trouble for me to get ya out of!"** The pale spirit growled as he strained against the void, knowing full well that, without a mind, Ichigo could only react negatively or positively to spiritual effects. The soul grew lovingly warm, even seeping comfort into the struggling Zanpakuto. With a grand roar of ire, the spirit drew out as much power as he could, not caring if his muscles began to burn under the pressure. Reiatsu glowed and swirled around the alabaster figure, violently shaking the space. With a final pull, Zangetsu suddenly found himself thrown forward into a blinding light._

 _On the other side, an explosion rammed the Hollowfied spirit into a concrete wall. Collapsing to the cold hard ground, he stared, dazed, at Ichigo's soul held protectively in his arms. Smiling inwardly, the albino curled up as he concentrated the last of his reiatsu to wrap around his King. Instincts prompted him to growl as he hugged the soul closer to his chest, but exhaustion clawed at his fading consciousness. The last thing he saw was sandaled feet entering his view as blackness finally dominated his vision._

* * *

 _Chirping birds sang merrily nearby as the afternoon sun's rays fell over a pale figure. Groaning, golden pools within an obsidian sea fluttered open irritably. Frowning, he stared up at the open window to his left, confused as he felt the plushness of a bed beneath him. Suddenly, Zangetsu jolted into a sitting position, frantically looking down at his arms. Pale shoulders dropped in relief to find Ichigo's Kibu Tamashi secured in his embrace whilst emitting positive energy._

 _That energy grew warmer, almost in a perky manner, as the Zanpakuto poured reiatsu into the soul. Once he was satisfied with the condition of his King, he turned his attention to the room he was occupying. The space was a third smaller than Ichigo's bedroom, with jade green walls with the head of his bed placed up against the middle of the shorter wall. To his left was a simple oak side table with his hollow mask resting atop it. Meanwhile, a basic wooden door was located on the left side of the wall in front of him._

 _Pushing the forest green blanket off of his lap, the albino swung his clawed feet over the right side of the bed. Standing up, he held the Kibu Tamashi as he would a small child, with his right arm hooked underneath the soft orb. With his King secured, Zangetsu walked towards the window, grabbing his mask with his free hand before dissipating it for him to summon later. The wooden floor felt cool against his bare feet as he approached the window to peer outside. Outside, golden eyes could see a fenced rock garden big enough to fit four school buses, while beyond the fence were several two story apartment buildings in what appeared to be part of a massive city. All around himself, the albino could sense the presence of multitudes of fellow Zanpakuto spirits._

 _"Yo! Zanny-chan!" A figure leaped through the open window out of nowhere, causing the hollowfied Zanpakuto to widen his eyes in surprise. The pale spirit immediately sidestepped to the right, out of the figure's path, and kicked the person in their side. The man was then thrown into the wall, where he crashes face first and upside down before sliding to the floor to land comically on his face with his feet dangling helplessly above him. Zangetsu stared at the fallen man, unamused from where he stood. Suddenly, the door to the left of the collapsed form swung open and a petite girl in a mint green with a large white fur collar, small pale green skirt, and spiky ocean blue hair that was tied up in a small ponytail in the back, waltzed in. Boredom was painted across her face as she walked up to the fallen man and proceeded to kick him in the gut._

 _"Oi. I warned you that you'd just get kicked, but what do you do? You jumped him anyways." The girl grumbled, continuing to kick the poor bastard mercilessly. A minute of muffled kicking passed before she finally stopped to turn and address the albino who hadn't moved as he quietly observed with an amused expression. "Glad to see you up after snoozing for a whole day. Name's Hiuchigashima Mera."_

 _Zangetsu nodded, remembering the girl from his reforging as a bodyguard and assistant to Oetsu Nimaiya, the god of the sword. The spirit's attention was abruptly averted when the fallen figure suddenly leapt to his feet, posing with his feet a shoulder width apart, his arms crossed over his chest, and his hands forming peace signs. The man was slightly shorter than the alabaster being, with dark tanned skin and large poofy black hair, with the sides closely shaved as well as dyed a bright green. Gold rimmed glasses with blue tinted lenses rested on a widely grinning face; neon green undergarments peeked out from beneath a sleeveless Shihakusho; accompanied by a pair of basic black Hakama that's cut to the midcalf and a pair of simple sandals. Completing the outfit was a white, sleeveless puffy jacket with the black markings of a captain's Haori running along the bottom and the emblem of the Zero squad printed on the back._

 _"Wassup?! Number one, Zan-pa-ku-to maker, in da house!" The eccentric man declared like some half-baked rapper. "Oetsu Nimaiya's here homie! Hit me up!"_

 _The Zanpakuto blacksmith bounded up to Zangetsu with a balled fist stretched out, begging for a fist bump. The albino stared at whom was essentially his creator (or at least re-creator considering his origins) in annoyed disbelief. When a minute of silence passed, the blacksmith shrugged, mildly crestfallen. "Ah whatever, you woke up just in time my friend."_

 _Nimaiya strode out of the room with a skip in his step. Mera rolled her eyes as she followed him out. Meanwhile, the pale hollowfied Zanpakuto felt exasperated as he continued to silently stand, cradling his King's Soul. Without warning, Mera popped her head back into the room with a bored look of slight irritation. "You coming or what?"_

 _Sighing begrudgingly, the albino strolled after the pair. Outside of his room, he followed the blue haired girl, who was several yards ahead of him, down a dimly lit hallway with multiple numbered doors along the coffee colored walls. After a while, Mera disappeared through a door that lead outside. Walking out into the sunlight, Zangetsu followed an empty concrete path, with pastel green trees on either side until he came up to an empty plaza in front of a massive castle like building with multiple other paths leading up to it, including a wide main road in the middle. The entrance to the building was a set of oaken double-doors._

 _Approaching the doors, the alabaster spirit smirked in mild amusement as he felt a barrier surrounding the room inside, preventing him from sensing who or what was inside. Deciding not to stall, reached towards the door handle with his left hand, keeping his King secured with his right. The door swung forward into a pitch black room as the albino stepped in, before the door automatically shut behind him, leaving him in a space devoid of light except for the soft orange glow from Ichigo. In the next instant, Zangetsu was forced to squint, turning his head slightly to the side, as a bright light flooded the room."WELCOME! CONGRATULATIONS!"_

 _Hundreds of squealing female Zanpakuto spirits greeted the pale hollow. Several of them were jumping up to the guest of honor, their boobs jiggling all over the place as they_ _bounced around in only simple vests and shirts with a miniskirt, or short toga-like dresses with low cuts, accentuating every curve they had as well as frame cleavages of varied sizes. The girls filled the vast room of, what appeared to be, a banquet hall with tables filled with fabulous feasts. Splendid lights in an array of colors danced across the ceiling._

 _"Kyaa! Zangetsu-kun!"_

 _"Wow! Your so ho~t!"_

 _"Did it really take Oetsu-sama-kun's entire ocean to cool you down?"_

 _The babbling girls surrounded the albino, desperately trying to get his attention. Gold on ebony eyes twitched in irritation. Clenched teeth went unnoticed by the bubbly crowd. Suddenly, one of the closer individuals reached towards Ichigo's spherical form, chattering about how cute it looked. That was the last straw._

 _The pale being released a savage burst of reiatsu, tossing the surrounding cluster back by several yards. An ominous silence settled over the room. Muscles tense, Zangetsu held back from growling out loud as he hugged his King's Soul protectively against his chest._

 ** _"What the hell do ya want?!"_** _He snarled up at the ceiling, where he knew the God of the Sword was hiding. There was a loud clunk as a portion of the high ceiling swung open, allowing a small, metallic, ball to drop down to land a few feet in front of the albino. Instantly, the ball exploded into a massive multicolored cloud that quickly dissipated to reveal the blacksmith with a wide grin and his arms crossed, a microphone clutched in the left hand. The Zero Squad Member pointed at the spirit, with his free hand as he spoke "Yo! Zan-chan, my man! Welcome to my super awesome GALAXY HOODEN!_ _Congrats on killing that King of Quincies!"_

 _A loud cheer rose from the female flock at the mention of the accomplished feat before being drowned out by their creator's booming voice, amplified with the microphone."Ya made quite an explosive entry at the gate area where newly released Zanpakuto come in. Some peeps thought it was a second invasion! Anyways, we w_ _ould've woken ya up earlier for the party, but you seemed to really enjoy sleeping."_

 _Out of nowhere, the smithing god whipped out a photograph, showing it off to the, now shocked, hollow. The image displayed him curled up on his side, in the bed he'd woken up in. Cuddled in his arms was his King's soul, a peaceful smile on his porcelain skinned face as he nuzzles the glowing orb._

 _"Aww. So cu~te!" Multiple girls crowded around the blacksmith, eagerly trying to get a glimpse of the picture._

 _ **"Che**. **"** A sly glint crossed golden pools as Zangetsu raised a finger, gathering reiatsu. In an instant, he released a miniscule cero that shot right through the photo, promptly incinerating the glossed paper before moving on to scorch the far wall. Various groans of disappointment emanated from the horde, while the albino smirked mockingly._

 _ **"Well, ya've had yer fun ladies, but I believe we should address other matters instead, eh God of the Sword?"** The pale being cackled loudly, causing several of the girls to shiver in discomfort. Meanwhile, Nimaiya pouted. "So soon? The party was only getting started! Guess it's just not your thing."_

 _The alabaster figure merely shrugged in disinterest as he offered a psychotic grin to compensate. The smithing god shook his head before turning and walking towards a door off to the side, waving a hand over his shoulder to indicate for Zangetsu to follow._

 _"Keep going home girls, don't let us hold ya'll up! Number one! Zan-pa-ku-to creator! Out!" He proclaimed to the crowd, then performed a mic drop as he strolled out with both Zangetsu and Mera at his heels._

* * *

 _Oetsu Nimaiya and Mera Hiuchigashima led Zangetsu outside of the vast City of Blades. Through a field of fresh green, and up to an isolated shack, the true Hooden behind the extravagant Galaxy Hooden, at the edge of a cliff. At the entrance of the humble abode, the God of the Sword snapped his fingers, causing a circular slide to rise out of the ground within the entryway. The eccentric man leapt down the slide without hesitation. Quickly catching on, Zangetsu slid after him, his King's Kibu Tamashi secured in his arms, while Mera slid after him._

 _The pale spirit felt major Deja Vu as he slid into a pool of water within the confines of a massive cavern beneath the shack. Climbing out of the water as mera splashed in behind him, the albino's grin nearly split his face as he remembered, blissfully, of the euphoria as he'd felt during his reforging as he was finally fully recognized by his King. Walking closer to the waiting blacksmith, who stood near the mouth of the cave overlooking the dried ocean, Zangetsu noticed the cold forge nearby as remnants of Ichigo's reiatsu lingered in the open air._

 _"Wassup Zan-chan? Nice view, eh?" The smithing god spoke calmly, with his back turned towards the hollowfied spirit. Turning his head to look at the porcelain faced being, Nimaiya jutted a thumb towards the overlooking scene. :Gonna take awhile ta fill 'er up again, but then, I'm guessing you're not interested in something like that, huh?"_

 _Zangetsu's typical grin of deranged madness practically glowed in the low light. **"I request an audience with the Reiou."** The blacksmith laughed._

 _"Damn Zanny-chan! Ya got quite the tall order yanno?" He turned completely to face the spirit as he scratched his chin. "Bu~t, I'm afraid that's not possible."_

 ** _"Why not? We've paid our price to help the realms, surely some compensation is due."_** _Zangetsu spoke calmly, malice glittering in his dark eyes as his psychotic grin stood firm. However, Mera was the one to respond. "It's not that. The Soul King Palace and everyone in it are still recovering, especially the Reiou. So, getting your request through will take some time."_

 _The blue haired girl wandered over to a chest that was pushed up against the cave wall to the left. She rummaged through the container as she continued to speak. "Until then, you'll be adjusting to your new home, for now. Here. This'll be useful."_

 _The female bodyguard strolled up to Zangetsu, handing him a black drawstring backpack. She nods towards the Kibu Tamashi, glowing merrily in pale arms, to indicate the bag's purpose. Getting the memo, the alabaster being accepts the gift before gingerly placing his King within the bag. Drawing the strings closed, he slips the pack onto his back. Reaching behind to touch the new backpack, his smirk grew a tad wider once he'd confirmed that the soul was pulsing steadily with a faint stream of positive reiatsu._

 _"Yanno, it's pretty normal for a Zanpakuto to care for their wielder, some more strongly than others, but to reject the death of the other half of their soul enough to desire speaking to the Reiou is pretty new to me." Nimaiya spoke up, having been quietly observing from the side during the moment. "I'm not one to judge on relationships in general, but I am curious."_

 _Zangetsu blinked at the statement before responding. **"** **He's the King of our soul, and he'd wished for a second chance. As the horse, I intend to fulfill that wish."**_

 _Oetsu frowned behind his blue tinted shades. "Perhaps, or maybe… Hmm. Anyways, why do you claim that there's a King and a horse, if you know that a Zanpakuto and a Shinigami are one and the same?"_

 _The albino froze, his clawed hands forming fists. Static buzzed through his mind as no answer could be formed, only the single paradoxical truth he knew was present. The King and the horse are two and one . The smithing god waved his hands in the air dismissively, worry lacing his mind as he spoke up. "Oi, my bad! Lemme ask a different question: Did the prototype, White, become reborn as both you and Ichigo, or did he merge with the soul of an unborn Quincy, two souls uniting as a single soul of two entities?"_

 _The hollowfied Zanpakuto felt calmer as he tilted his head to the side as he pondered the question before shaking his head. **"That's beyond my knowledge."**_

 _Nimaiya shrugged, internally relieved by the change in mood. "Fair enough. Ya'll two are an enigma after all." The blacksmith nodded to himself then suddenly snapped his fingers as an idea struck._

 _"Ah! Since yer such a party pooper, why don't ya go get some munchies from Kiri-chan? Tell 'er it's on me!" Zangetsu was pretty sure that the swordsmith merely wanted to move things along, though he did feel hungry. Usually, a Zanpakuto is fed through the consumptions of their Shinigami counterpart, but with Ichigo being incapacitated, this will be an interesting new experience of directly eating food. Thus, the albino nodded in agreement._

* * *

 _The hollowfied Zanpakuto laughed out loud in echoing glee as he flew through the air, launched from a catapult._ _He did several flips in the air before landing swiftly onto the entry platform leading to the floating city ruled by the King of Grain, cackling as he went. Mera, who was sent to travel with him by the God of the sword, rolled her eyes as she lightly touched down beside him. As per Nimaiya's request, she leads Zangetsu up the set of stairs to the Gatonden, the Palace of Grain, where a large figure, Hikifune Kirio, waited cheerfully. "Hi there! You need more drinks for your party?"_

 _Mera approached the large woman, pointing a thumb towards the city they came from. "Oetsu sent us to get the mini dinner special. Snowflake here doesn't like parties."_

 _ **"I don't appreciate getting a bunch of squealers shoved into my face."** Tsked the albino, grumbling under his breath._

 _"Oh! Well, you're in luck! I've got my tables set for a late lunch after making that feast for your party and preparing lunch for my staff, so you can help me finish my meal! Come on!" The plump woman strolled into her palace, leading the duo to the grand dining area with a jolly bounce in her step. Within the vast room, lay tables piled with exquisite cuisines. Based on Ichigo's memories of his time here, there isn't quite as much food as before, but it was still enough to crowd multiple tables. As Zangetsu continued to observe the room, he noticed that the blue haired girl was already sitting at a table, devouring a plate of roast duck. Hikifune was also seating herself at the same table, and motioned for the pale spirit to join them, prompting the hollowfied sword to approach the table._

 _"ICHI~GO!" A small, yellow form hurled itself at the albino, latching onto his face as it bawled pitifully. "How could you leave me like that, you bastard?!"_

 _Reaching up, the alabaster being pried the sniffling stuffed lion off of his face. He grinned widely as he held the toy a foot away from himself, snickering internally as the teddy lion's face went from obnoxiously whiny to horrified. "Y-you're n-not Ichigo…"_

 _ **"Name's Zangetsu. Nice to meetcha Kon."** The pale Zanpakuto spirit unceremoniously dropped the Mod-soul onto the floor before slipping off his backpack and sat at the circular table, alongside Mera and Hikifune, with the pack in his lap._

 _"Oh, don't mind him." Spoke the King of Grain, looked up from consuming a bowl of Goya Chanpuru. "He was originally left up here to stay safe from the battles below, but he seems to love it here. Besides, he's just so adorable to have around!"_

 _"Hey! I'm not a pet!" Screamed the perverted toy, who'd climbed onto the table and sat on a cleared area to the left of the hollow, but was ignored as Zangetsu began to help himself to a bowl of udon noodles, marveling at the taste. That was, until Kon slipped in between his arms, shoving himself into the albino's face. "So, you're Ichigo's Zanpakuto? Man, I knew he was a demon deep down, but you're just freaky!"_

 _Starting to get mildly irritated, the albino grabbed the stuffed toy and mercilessly threw him over his shoulder. Once that was done, he continued on with his noodles, but Kon was relentless, simply waddling back over before clambering back onto the table. "Yanno, you being that asshole's Zanpakuto makes sense, being so similar and all. Though you still seem different. Anyways, what happened after the war? Oh! How's my beloved Nee-chans?!"_

 _Kon's beady eyes sparkled at the thought of Rukia. Meanwhile, Zangetsu paused after swallowing a bite of kakuni and rice, having already finished his udon, before responding, **"The Seireitei is still recovering and the midget and Hime are fine."**_

 _"Ah, I miss Orihime-chan and Rukia-chan, but I like it here too! There's so many beautifully voluptuous maidens in the city! And they're Mod-Souls just like me! Hey, did you know that all of the Mod-souls were sent to live in Kirio-sama's city? Turns out the termination order was a lie, and the Mods were simply moved up here. Kinda wish I had failed in escaping. Oh yeah, how's Ichi-" The stuffed lion's rambling came to a screeching halt as the alabaster spirit slammed down the bowl of Nikujaga he was eating, and snatched up the toy, clutching its cotton head in his left hand. The albino grinned viciously as his ivory claws dug into cotton fibers, his palm began heating up, a red glow beginning to emanate._

 _ **"I don't give a damn about what ya have to say. Why dontcha keep quiet before I incinerate yer stuffing?"** Zangetsu dropped the quivering cowardly lion back onto the table, and turned back to the meal before him. Unfortunately, looking down at his bowl, he could feel that his appetite was already spoiled. Thus, instead, he leaned back in his wooden chair, taking the time to observe the various dishes covering the tables within the vast dining hall of the Gatonden. There was an array of dumplings, stir-fries, noodles, and soups, as well as plate after plate of mouth-watering meat, flavorful vegetables, and succulent fruit, in a wide assemblage of delectable colors. The sight was a feast fit for a King._

 _Speaking of kings, the sword spirit looked down at his lap, only to realize that at some point in time, he'd unconsciously taken his Kibu Tamashi out of his pack, and was know petting it like one would pet a sleepy cat. Narrowing his eyes, Zangetsu felt a prickle within his being as he stared down at the glowing orb, sorrow swirling at the sight of the fallen king's state. As, the albino continued to pet the soft sphere, he suddenly ducked as a figure attempted to kick him, only sail over his head to land behind him. Turning around in his chair, the pale sword spirit spotted Mera behind him with her typical expression of boredom and her arms crossed. "Come on snowflake. Since you seem to be done, we'll go back so I can show you around the place."_

 _The hollow rolled his eyes as he put his King's soul back into his bag before standing up and slipping the backpack on. Both he and Mera gave Kirio their gratitude, while Kon ran off, singing about boobs and peaches. Mera took the hollowfied spirit back to the city of Blades to give him the tour she'd promised. There, Zangetsu was shown the various shops and restaurants run by other Zanpakuto spirits, as well as a massive "dojo" that was really a two story building that was an entrance to a massive construction built beneath the floating city where everyone could go in for free to go wild, including multiple gargantuan battle rooms with customizable obstacles for varied experiences. Moving on, the pale individual was also shown the housing districts, and was even offered a more lavish residence to occupy, but he denied the offer in favor of remaining in the apartment he'd woken up in. Throughout the tour, the duo ran into several fans of the new "War Hero", whom they tried to avoid, as well as a few Zanpakuto whom Zangetsu recognized, such as Shinso and Wabisuke._

 _Once night had fallen, the pale spirit and the blacksmith's bodyguard returned to Zangetsu's apartment. The porcelain-skinned hollow entered his single room lodging before turning to thank Mera, who was standing in the doorway._

 _"Well, you now know how to occupy yourself, so sit tight until the Reiou is ready for you. You're free to return to cuddling your teddy bear." When the albino scowled at the girl, she simply smirked as she added: "You know, you kept lashing out with your reiatsu and wouldn't let anyone get even close to Ichigo's Kibu Tamashi, even though you were unconscious. Clingy much?"_

 _With that, she closes the door, leaving the albino alone. Zangetsu hummed a little, in mild annoyance, as he plopped down on his bed,which had been remade while he was gone, and set his bag onto his side table. Laying back, he felt restless as he adjusted his head onto the fluffy pillow. He glanced at his backpack, a slight glow peeking through the black fabric, before turning onto his side and looking towards his window, where moonlight fell silently through the glass. Sitting up, the Zanpakuto removed his long coat, leaving him barechested, and set that onto the side table. Laying back down, he pulls the forest green blanket over his body in attempt to get comfortable, strange considering he had no problem sleeping completely clothed on the side of a building with no blanket or pillow, before. After what felt like a half hour of tossing and turning, Zangetsu glanced once more at his backpack. Growling internally, he snatches up the bag and pulls his King's soul out from within it's fabric form. Tossing the bag to the floor, the hollowfied sword laid down with the soft orb enveloped in his embrace, finally drifting off to sleep as he nuzzled the glowing form._

* * *

 _Three months have passed since Zangetsu was welcomed to the City of Blades. Since then, he's been spending his days sparring with anyone willing to take him on, especially Senbonzakura once he'd shown up a month later. The albino also fulfilled odd jobs by Nimaiya's request, such as helping to refill the forge's ocean. There were also many Zanpakuto spirits, especially chatty females, that kept vying for his attention, becoming an annoyance, so he generally stayed away from the main streets. At least the people at the dojo were considerate enough to leave him alone outside of spars. Besides that, the hollowfied sword has also spent a great deal of time within his apartment, caring for his Kibu Tamashi._

 _A cool breeze swept into the quiet room, the window open out of habit due to the weather being consistently mild. A forest green blanket rustled as Zangetsu roused himself from sleep, yawning as he rubbed the back of his neck. Looking down, he realized that Ichigo's soul had rolled off the bed again, not a common occurrence, but the albino does toss and turn from time to time. Smirking, the Zanpakuto leans over the side of the bed, scooping up the glowing orb._

 _ **"What? Ya miss me that much?"** Zangetsu mused whimsically as the soul immediately perked up, spewing positive reiatsu, as soon as the spherical form came in contact with the sword spirit's hands. He brought the orb into his lap, and began stroking it, encouraging the orb to grow warmer. **"Heh. Knowing ya, you'd probably be yelling in denial like a tsundere right now."**_

 _"Talking to him again?" The alabaster spirit looked up to see Mera standing outside his window, Her arms were draped over the windowsill with her chin resting on the wooden frame. The albino smirked in response. "Well, many do call me crazy."_

 _"Yeah, well anyways, you should get ready. I'm here to escort you to an audience with the Reiou." Zangetsu's grin nearly split his face as he immediately leapt out of bed, tossing on his long coat, ignoring his backpack, and shunpoing right out the window with his Kibu Tamashi in his grasp. With Mera in the lead, the two shunpoed to the catapult pad. From there, the hollowfied sword spirit gets launched, by himself, to the entryway of the floating path leading to the Greater Soul King Palace, the Reiodaidair. Landing on the platform, he's met with the leader of the Zero Squad, Ichibei, who greets him with a silent nod, Ichibei accompanies the Zanpakuto on the journey to reach the temporary stairs, made of Kido, in order to reach the cylindrical building of the Reiodaidair._

 _At the base of the stairs, glowing with reshi, the two came to a halt. When the monk waves the albino along, Zangetsu began to ascend the stairs, alone, until he reached the top. Entering the throne room, the Zanpakuto noticed how the lace had returned to the state it was in the first time he was here, in his sword form, with its open balcony and massive hanging drapes. However, the difference was the figure floating within the crystal at the center of the room._

 _ **"Aizen?"** Zangetsu could only raise an eyebrow in confusion as he beheld the entity before him. The being certainly looked like Aizen, wearing white pants, a white sleeveless shirt that extends in the front, and a red sash, as well as sitting cross legged as he floats within the crystal. Nonetheless, the figure wasn't quite Aizen as he had an eye-shaped tattoo on the back of his right hand, and the palm of his left. His left eye was a bright green, the right was a galaxy, and his smile was neither cold, nor conceited like before. Most of all, his reiatsu was disturbingly like Yhwach's, but calmer, more placate._

 _When the name of Aizen was spoken, the figure let loose a loud boisterous laugh_. "Close, but not quite."

 _The deity's shoulders shook as he continued to laugh before finally calming down to speak again._ "It may appear that Aizen has become the new Soul King, but I'm afraid to say that Yhwach is the true Reiou now."

 _Zangetsu's eyes widened in shocked horror, but was refrained from speaking when the being before him raised a hand for silence._ "Allow me to explain. When Yhwach consumed the crystallized body of the Soul King, he successfully became 'the Soul King', the lynch pin that holds together the universe. When he consumed Pernida, the left hand of the Soul King, he consumed the future of the Universe. When he consumed Mimihagi, the right hand of the Soul King, he consumed the past of the universe. And when he consumed Gerard, he consumed the present, but what he needed was the power over the very fabric of the universe, so he could shape reality to his desire. Thus, he created a portal to lead him to the final piece of the Soul King, Aizen."

"You see, long ago, the Reiou had created the inhabitants of the living realm, but they were far weaker than his past creations. He wished to help the living realm improve, but he was already busy maintaining balance amongst the many worlds. In the end, he severed his left hand. With that hand, he created Pernida to assist the progress and evolution of mankind. However, with the possibility of humans progressing to their doom, the Reiou then severed his right hand, Mimihagi, to uphold stagnation and the concepts of traditions and origin for mortals to return to. Lastly, the Reiou tore out his own heart to create Gerard, a separate entity to balance out progression and retrogression, as well as become a savior for the humans, his identity evolving throughout time to be retold through the tales of Thor, Hercules, and other great heroes."

"For awhile, things worked out. That was, until Pernida became frustrated with the progress of mankind. He wanted them to evolve as a race, more than as a society. First, he convinced Gerard to assist him, with the prospect of helping humanity, and created an entirely new soul, which they planted into a newborn amongst the living. That child was Yhwach. As you already know, Yhwach created the race of Quincies, and went to war with the Shinigami."

"When that war ended, the Reiou committed one final act, removing his brain, leaving himself in a vegetative state. Thus, we had Aizen, who was cold and calculating, as the heart was already missing, and held the power over reality, but could not directly affect another deity, such as Yhwach. So, Aizen immediately hatched a plan to create a champion powerful enough to take on the Quincy King. He, set a timer on an especially powerful soul to be reincarnated at the right time. Before that happened, Aizen used his reality alterations to descend into a mortal Shinigami form, reducing his powers to become what you know as Kyoka Suigetsu with the ability of perfect hypnosis, in order to set the stage to cultivate his champion, as well as prepare the champion's sword. You."

 _Zangetsu remained silent as the entity before him continued._ "From there, you know the rest, the Vaizards' origins, the tale of the exiled, and the life of Kurosaki Ichigo. This leads us to the end of the Thousand-Year Blood War, and to my creation. When Yhwach was defeated, his consciousness was destroyed, but his spiritual form remained as the new Reiou. Aizen managed to temporarily absorb the Quincy long enough to safely move back to the Soul King Palace, as well as unleash his true ability to alter reality. Unfortunately, Yhwach needed more to be restrained since Aizen was only an artificial god at the time."

"While Kirio-san and Senjumaru-san alternated with each other to work on the restraints, Ichibei-san help Aizen with the Hogyoku to extract the parts of the Quincy's soul that were originally part of the previous Reiou. Afterwards, Aizen, Pernida, Mimihagi, and Gerard reunited to become one as me. Incidentally, Ukitake-san had unified with the Mimihagi and has also merged to create me. In fact, I'd say he's the dominant personality, no doubt thanks to Aizen's influence, in order to maintain a stable existence."

 _Zangetsu nodded in understanding as the story finally came to a close, but one thing still irked him. **"You mentioned extraction, could you possibly extract one more thing?"**_

 _The Zanpakuto asked, hopefully, but received only a sad shake of the head._ "You speak of the spiritual manifestation of Kurosaki-san's Quincy powers correct? I'm afraid that, since he was a part of Yhwach originally, it's beyond my power. I am an entity whose purpose now is to direct the powers of the current Soul King. Since he's a god, I cannot alter parts of his original soul with such precision. Only Yhwach can split apart himself willingly to create a separate being."

 _The albino looked down at his King, stroking the Kibu Tamashi to ease his nerves. **"Why did ya tell me all this? Yer origin story, I mean."**_

 _The deity smiled sheepishly._ "Well, I wanted someone who understands sacrifice to know the truth, besides the Zero Squad. The Captains and Lieutenants of the Gotei 13 only know that Yhwach is the new Soul King, and sealed in a crystallized state, and have agreed to keep such information confidential and erased from the books. Not even future Captains and Lieutenants are to know. Now enough about that, you are here because you desire a second chance, yes?"

 _Zangetsu grinned as he hugged his King's soul tightly. **"My King deserves another life to be happy in, but as himself and not a new person entirely. I also wish to return unchanged. We may have a bond that needs no words, but something that is 'not needed' isn't necessarily 'not wanted.'"**_

"Alright, but what of his memories? It's difficult to be living as a supposedly innocent newborn if one remembers being a warrior of a vicious war."

 ** _"Seal his memories, and grant me the key.I'll only unlock them if he truly wishes for them back."_**

"If he reincarnates with sealed memories rather than erased ones, then there may be side effects such as memory lapses. Also, even if you are awakened already, he won't recognize your existence, so you'll have to work to re-establish your link."

 ** _"Do it."_**

"Very well." _The figure uncrosses his legs as he steps out and down from the crystal chamber, phasing through the clear walls. He walks forward, approaching the pale Zanpakuto. Once he's a foot in front of the hollowfied sword, he reaches up, placing his left hand upon snowy tresses. In that moment, Zangetsu's whole body begins to dissolve and fade, his eyes closing sleepily as his soul is swept back into the cycle of reincarnation. With the deed done, the deity drops his hand and smiles sadly._ "Forgive me old friend. Your wish shall be fulfilled, but your aid is needed one final time. First comes the return, next the twisted plague. Finally, the ground will tremble from the rise of the forgotten howls."

* * *

 _Zangetsu felt calm with his eyes closed as he was swept away. Finally, his surroundings stopped swirling and he opened his eyes. The lace was devoid of light entirely, but that was ok. He didn't need light to know that he was home once more, within his King's inner realm. The albino could feel his claws retracting, his hair shortening, and his clothes reverting back to the inverted Shinigami uniform of his Shikai form._

 _The Zanpakuto grinned savagely as he raced through the blind realm, tracing the memorized layout of the sideways skyscrapers. After a while, the pale spirit eventually slowed to a stop, calming down from the high of his joyous homecoming. He then made his way to the building encasing Ichigo's memories. Descending inside, the spirit found the memories truly were sealed as the inside was no more than an empty replica of the clinic. Walking further in, he found himself eventually reaching a copy of Ichigo's bedroom._

 _Exploring blindly within the space, Zangetsu reached out a hand to trace the wall as he walked. With a loud clinking shattering the silence, he found chains sealing the bedroom closet shut. Moving away from the sealed memories, the alabaster figure strolled through the room until he stumbled upon a single bed in the corner. Sitting down on the plush mattress, the sword spirit raised his hands before himself as he drew reiatsu from the world itself, until a glowing orange orb, the size of a volleyball, manifested into his grasp. With nothing to do but wait for rebirth to breathe the light of light back into his home, Zangetsu laid down, cuddling the warm sphere as he drifted off to sleep._

 ** _"See you in nine months, King."_**

* * *

 **Verteller:** *sips tea*

 **Ichigo:** So... I'm like Shiro's teddy bear?

 **Shiro:** *hugs Ichigo from behind* Nah, yer more like a body pillow.

 **Verteller:** Either way, that's that.

 **Ichigo:** Whatever, but why did you have to make Aizen, of all people, the Soul King?

 **Verteller:** I already explained my reasons.

 **Shiro:** Yeah yeah, but why is the flash back cramped into one super long chapter?

 **Verteller:** *shrugs* Why not?

* * *

 **Fun Fact (If you didn't already know this): Coming in 2017 is a light novel, written by Ryohgo Narita and approved by Tite Kubo, that features Shuhei Hisagi and will reveal his Bankai, as well as info about who the Soul King is, the Zero Squad, Arracars, Fullbringers, and a bunch of other stuff.**

 **There's also another light novel coming out, written by Makoto Matsubara, featuring Rukia and Renji's wedding.**

* * *

 **BTW: With some of the small details, like Mera's haircolor, I'm purely guessing, since they weren't revealed in the manga. Just thought I'd throw that out there.**

* * *

 **Pictures! (I'm too lazy to re-explain how to properly use the links, but here you go.)**

 **Chibi Shiro:**

fav. me/ daqw0do

 **Soul King:**

fav. me/ das7ukp


	18. Rebound

**Hi-yo!**

* * *

Chapter 18

 **Back to Present Day**

It was dark, wet, and weightless. He felt like he was floating in nothingness, only the clothes on his back brushing against his skin, his hair tickling his neck. He could feel cold emptiness caressing his being as something prickled at the back of his mind. Warmth pressed against his back, holding him together, but he wanted more of it, to be enveloped by it. Turning around, he hugged the warmth closer to himself, wanting to be swept away by its cozy scent as a faint noise called to him. Another prickle appeared in the back of his mind, then, as if a door were slowly opening, poured back in joy, anger, sadness, fear, and _pain_. So. Much. Pain.

Ichigo's eyes fluttered open, his face buried into a white cloth covered shoulder. Looking up, the teen was met with the brilliant gold eyes of Shiro, who had a worried, yet relieved, look on his porcelain white face as he allowed his tense muscles to finally relax. The albino was sitting with his back against a broken wall with his legs stretched out while the orangette was laying on top of him whilst hugging his chest. The hybrid immediately bolted to a sitting position, as he began to speak in a panicked rush. "Shi-Zangetsu! I'm so sorry! For everything! I-I let-"

" **Shh. Ichi, calm down."** Shiro gripped his King's hands, which were digging blunt nails into his scalp, and gently drew them down. Ichigo scowled as he opened his mouth to argue, but was silenced when the pale Zanpakuto kissed his forehead before pulling him into a tight hug. " **It's alright King. Ya didn't know. It's all in the past now. Just live in the present and look to the future."**

"It's NOT alright!" Ichiru wrenched himself out of the albino's grasp, standing up abruptly. Without looking at Shiro, the teen raised his arms to gesture at the drowned ruins of his soul. "How is _any_ of this alright?! Even after learning the truth the first time, I still failed you time and time again."

Spinning to face the sword spirit again, Ichigo continued, his fists clenched at his side as he growled. "And why the hell are you being soft with bastard? Do you really prefer Ichiru over Ichigo?!"

The moment those words left his mouth, the teen's eyes widened as he clutched his head, his sight frantically looking everywhere in hysteria. "No wait! I meant me over Ichigo! Y-yeah… Or w-was it Ichiru over… me…?"

Shiro tsked as he stood up. " **Are ya seriously asking that? We've been over this."**

In an instant, the Zanpakuto shunpoed in front of the orangette and shoved him backwards. Reality warped and the hybrid found himself free falling through open air, Shiro and the remains of the inner world vanishing, before landing on his back with a loud "Oof". Cocoa brown eyes blinked in confusion as the orangette realized that he was staring up at a clear sky. He was in the middle of a rocky landscape, similar to Urahara's basement, with no sign of having ever been flooded. Also, he was laying on something very lumpy.

"Mmph! Merf... Guh. Get… OFF Of ME!" The teen was harshly shoved to the side, causing him to flip onto his stomach. Turning his head to the left, the Shinigami hybrid stared baffled at the person before him. The figure was scowled as he sat up. He had short spiky sunset colored hair and wore the basic Shinigami uniform with a red ornamental strap while the old, single Khyber blade, Zangetsu rested on his back. Shocked, Ichiru opened his mouth to speak. "You're… Ichigo?"

The person scratched the back of his head as he continued to scowl. "Who's that? I am me."

Sitting up himself, Ichiru tilted his head in confusion. "Then, what is your name?"

The nameless teen shrugged, apparently unconcerned about lacking an identity. Standing up and stretching, the figure jutted a finger at the the still sitting orangette. "Anyways, what the hell was that for bastard? Who goes around falling on people out of nowhere?"

A tick mark appeared on Ichiru's head as he stood up to snap back. "Hey, I was pushed! And, I was falling backwards, so how would I be able to see you? What you doing, standing around like an idiot?"

Rather than arguing back, or at least answer the question, like the hybrid had thought he would, the other teen raised a single eyebrow. "Why are we using the word 'you'?"

Ichiru stared, confused about the sudden question, when his other self shunpoed in front of him and brought a hard fist down on his head. "Dumbass."

Yelping in surprise, the Shinigami hybrid's eyes shut as he winced, rubbing his sore head. Looking up again to yell at the other, he could only feel more confused when he saw that the nameless teen had vanished. Shuffling footsteps sounded behind him, causing Ichiru to turn around, expecting to find Ichigo clone again. Instead, he was met with a teen with the exact same shoulder-length hair as himself while wearing his, current, typical street clothes consisting of jeans, solid color T-shirt, and a red jacket. The hybrid gaped at the sight. "Ichiru?"

Amusement crossed the other's face as he tilted his head like a curious dog. "Who's that? I am me."

The new nameless teen strolled over to a stray boulder a few feet from the orangette. Sitting down on the two feet high rock, "Ichiru" smiled sheepishly at the other. "Hey. I think I lost something, but I'm not sure what it was. Then again, maybe I didn't lose anything?"

Frowning, Ichigo shook his head before addressing the new figure. "What are you talking about? Didn't you just get back your old memories?"

The seated figure narrowed his brown eyes at the other. "Who said that's what I want back? Why is the word 'you' being used?"

With that, the moment Ichigo blinked, the second nameless teen vanished. Stupefied, Ichigo stood in silence as he attempted to process what was going on. He knew for sure that this was Shiro's doing, since he'd done it before by switching out with an illusion of Kenpachi, than of Byakuya, during one of their earlier battles. Yet, how was any of this suppose to help? Does meeting both Ichigo and Ichiru mean that he's now a separate third person?

The teen was so lost in thought that he hadn't realized that he was no longer alone until an arm slung over his shoulder. Startled, he raised his head, looking to the left to see yet another look-alike person standing beside him. This time, it was Ichigo in his Shinigami attire from the Quincy war, except his larger Khyber sword was pure white. On the left side of his face was a large jagged black stripe running down from his hairline, down his neck. His left eye was gold on black sclera, unlike his normal brown right eye, while his orange hair was trimmed short. A single porcelain white horn extended from his left temple.

The full hybrid Ichigo gave an almost cocky smirk as he allowed his arm to drop, once he'd registered that he'd gotten the other's attention. "Cheer up. The answer will come."

Not wanting to bother asking for this new figure's identity, having an idea of the possible response, Ichiru regarded the form beside with uncertainty. "The answer to what?"

"Well, what question do we keep replying to with the same answer." Ichiru tilted his head to the side as he considered the hint. Both of the other two "Ichi's" had denied an identity when he questioned their names, followed by the same sentence. The gears in the teen's head suddenly clicked, quickly followed by the orangette facepalming himself. "Crap. It was an obvious answer the whole time!"

When no response came, the teen peeked through his fingers to see that, once again, his past self had vanished. Sighing, the orange haired hybrid dropped his hand, looking down at his feet as he rubbed the back of his neck with the other hand. Once he looked up again, he was met with, whom he hoped was, the last "self" standing a few yards ahead of him. Unlike the others, this teen was an exact replica of the present Shinigami Substitute, from the shoulder-length hair to the Quincy War uniform. The mirror image smiled as he opened his mouth to speak. "Do you know who I am?"

At last, confidence and determination swirled amidst chocolate brown pools once more. "I am me."

In a flash, the landscape, including the replica was swept away to be replaced by the inner world. This time, the concrete land was restored to it's glorious sideways skyscrapers, yet remained flooded with swirling water. Pale arms wrapped around the hybrid's torso, causing him to look over his shoulder to see Zangetsu Shiro staring back with a smirk. **"Ya got yer answer?"**

"Yeah. I am me, Ichigo _and_ Ichiru. I really did live… through a-all… those.." Ichigo's voice faltered, trailing off as his eyes began to well up, despite the surrounding water. Turning in the albino's embrace, the teen buried his face into his partner's shoulder as tears broke free. Years of bottled up frustration and despair was finally released as he cried. He clutched the front of his Zanpakuto's Shihakusho, shaking as each sob racked through his body the more he howled his pain. Meanwhile, Shiro remained quiet, rubbing circles into his weeping King's back. Looking on, the pale spirit smiled as the water flooding the realm gradually drained away, taking his beloved's old pain with it.

* * *

Ichigo groaned as he woke up in Urahara's spare room, Shiro materializing to sit on his right. Sitting up, the teen examined the room, mildly reminiscing the times he'd found himself here. His attention was snapped back when the sliding door opened with a clatter to reveal Urahara. The shopkeeper had a worried look in his eyes as he entered the room, closing the door behind him before moving to the orangette's left, bringing a hand up to check the teens temprature and pulse. "How are you feeling?"

Ichigo nodded before giving a small smile as he spoke. "I'm fine Geta-Boushi."

"Do you remember what happened?" Asked the scientist, straightening up as he brought out his fan to cover his mouth. Bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck, the teen nodded again. "Yeah, I swallowed that pill and got all of my memories back from my last life all at once, even my time as a Shinigami, leading up to the end…"

Urahara's fan suddenly shut with a loud clack, and the blonde man quickly moved to kneel in front of Ichiru and the futon he sat upon. At once, the shopkeeper bowed his head so low and fast that his forehead hit the tatami mat with an audible thump, his striped hat tumbling to the ground. "Forgive me Kurokatu Ichiru-san. I was a fool for creating that pill, and allowing you to have to deal with the past so suddenly."

The teen quietly laughed sheepishly at the display. "It's ok. Really, there's no need to blame yourself."

 **"He's right yanno."** The ex-shinigami captain raised his head to look at the pale sword spirit, who casually sat with an elbow resting on a raised knee as he spoke. **"Being the genius ya are, I probably don't have to explain this, but ya made the pill with good intentions. We just got unlucky with circumstances and the kinds memories we happened to have. Besides, there are probably plenty of amnesiac people who'd love to have that pill, so quit groveling."**

As Urahara sat up again, nodding in thanks, Ichiru cleared his throat. "Anyways, Zangetsu's already brought me up to date on this Sandra character. So, what are we going to do about the situation?"

The shady shopkeeper tenderly picked up his fallen hat and plopped it back onto his head as he opened his fan once more. "Unfortunately, I have no information on this person, much less on hollowfied Fullbringers. That is, assuming that what we're dealing with is such an entity, based on the evidence of her abilities and claims, even if her appearance is largely unknown. I've contacted Riruka-san and Yukio-san to see if they knew anything about either subject, but sadly it was beyond their knowledge. However, Yukio believes that Ginjou and Tsukishima may know of something useful."

" So, tomorrow afternoon, Riruka and Yukio will arrive here from the States, and travel with Yoruichi to the Soul Society to go speak with Ginjou at the Shiba House, where he's under Kukaku-san's care. Meanwhile, the rest of our group will remain here and do what they can to find Rukia and Sandra, as well as watch over Orihime-chan, until she heals, and you, the main target. Renji was going to return to Seireitei to turn in a modified report I came up with, but he insisted on remaining, so Yoruichi will be reporting in his stead."

Ichigo nodded in understanding, a bit off put at the prospect of being watched over like a hapless child, but knew that he had the highest chance of meeting the enemy once more. All of a sudden, he was struck by a thought. "Would it be possible for me to go with Yoruichi's group? I mean it has been twenty years."

"If you're feeling up to it, then very well." said Urahara after thinking for a second as he lightly fanned himself. "I'll prepare a disguise for you, so just come back tomorrow at noon."

The orangette exchanged a puzzled look with his Zanpakuto as they stood up to prepare to head home. "Why a disguise?"

The mad genius chuckled behind his infernal fan. "We~ll, you are a renowned war hero. So the news of your return may draw quite a bit of attention."

This was quite true as the face and deeds of the great Kurosaki Ichigo was now in the history books of the Shinigami Academy. Although a normal Shinigami may pass him off as a look-alike, supported by Ichiru's tendency to hide his reiatsu as much as possible nowadays, those who know the Substitute Shinigami, may get too excited and draw attention to news of a resurrected hero. Plus, there's the unpredictable antics of the notorious Shinigami Women's Association. Although the revelation is obviously inevitable, it'd be best to allow Ichiru to familiarize himself with the rebuilt Seireitei without drawing too much attention.

"Uh…" The teen appeared dumbfounded while Shiro snickered beside him, internally sympathetic to his King's situation. "O-ok. Well, thanks Geta-Boushi. We should be leaving now."

Urahara waved his fan at the two forms retreating through the sliding door. "Anytime Kurokatu-san. I'm here if you need anything, like a therapist, and don't strain yourself. Tessai can escort you if you don't want to head out alone."

Shiro paused, turning to look back at the shopkeeper with a wide grin. "It's fine. He's not alone."

With that, he left to go catch with his King, whom was already walking outside.

* * *

"Hey Shiro?"

 **"Hm?"**

*Smack*

 **"Ow!"**

"Why did you make me have to talk to my past selves instead of just telling it to me straight?"

 **"Yer chronic denseness was returning, so I had to use one of my old tactics."**

"I am NOT dense!"

 ***Smack***

"...Ok, maybe a little…"

* * *

 **Sorry if the chapter is a bit confusing. Writing out mindfucks to teach a character a lesson is a lot harder than I initially thought.**

* * *

 **Prepare yourselves, cuz next up is a lemon chapter! Or if you're too impatient, then go check out my other story "Yaoi Holiday Special". That should definitely satisfy your inner Yaoi fangirl/boy for now.**


	19. Lemon I

**WARNING: There will be GAY SEX! If you like your innocence, then skip this chapter. If you're a perv like me, then by all means, read away.**

 **I actually wrote this chapter in a way so that absolutely nothing important, in relation to the plot of the story, happens.**

* * *

Lemon Chapter I

Warm water splashed loudly from the showerhead, Ichigo standing bare beneath the spray. Flashes of vicious battles battles echoing in his mind as the teen stares at an opened palm. Rivulets of water running down the tanned skin. Shaking his head, droplets of water flinging from strands of shoulder-length hair, to snap out of his stupor, the teen quickly finished washing before stepping out of the shower. After drying off and tossing on a solid grey tee with blue pajama pants, he headed off to bed, noting that Shiro had returned to the inner world when he'd gone to shower.

Laying in bed, the orangette closed his eyes, restlessness gripping his mind as he tosses and turns in a poor attempt to get comfortable enough to allow sleep to claim him. After what felt like hours, the mattress dipped as new weight moved over the teen. Confused, Ichigo opened his eyes to see Shiro had materialized to crouch over him, pale hands placed on either side of the orangette's head. Chocolate eyes locked onto glowing gold, in the light of the moon, as the hybrid opened his mouth to question the other, only to stop when soft white lips met his own.

" **You've faced plenty of pain before King. Lend me your crown and allow me to show you how to feel undeniable pleasure."** The albino spoke in a low voice after pulling away. The orangette raised an eyebrow in question. "Isn't it a bit early in our relationship to be going all the way?"

The albino shrugged as he sat up a bit. **"Define early."**

Golden eyes narrowed as he looked away in a rare moment of shyness. **"Besides, I can feel your lingering phantom pain. Even if for a moment, I want to banish that."**

Ichigo wasn't completely sure if he wanted to go forth as brilliant gold met his own in an almost pleading manner, but he trusted his Zanpakuto, and nodded anyways. With that, Shiro leaned down, capturing pink petals once more, reaching a hand up to slip underneath the other's shirt, tracing the smooth skin spanning across a hard stomach. The teen wriggled a little, unsure of what to make of the fluttery touch, but complied as he opened his mouth to allow a blue tongue to slide in and dance with his own, tilting his head to deepen the kiss. Ichigo gasped, pulling away from the kiss, leading into a flustered moan, when the white form above him had suddenly ground down against his manhood.

The orangette's hands shot up to clutch the front of Shiro's Shihakusho, blood rushing to both his face and and awakening erection. Smirking at his wielder's reaction, the hollowfied spirit quickly pushed up Ichigo's shirt and began spreading butterfly kisses across a hard chest while his hand slid down to slip into his lover's boxers and grasped the quickly hardening length. The teen yelped as he found himself with his pants/boxers pushed down to his knees, with Shiro quickly stroking his weeping arousal. Groaning, Ichigo bucked into the white hand, as the albino pulled away, earning himself a growl of disappointment.

Sitting up straight, the alabaster spirit began to slowly remove his own clothes, starting with the inverted Shihakusho, grinning with delight as Ichigo sat up on his elbows to watch in transfixion. The orangette felt paralyzed as the last article of clothing slipped off of his pale boyfriend, drinking in the sight of endless porcelain skin as his erection throbbed with burning need. Suddenly, Shiro pounced onto his orange haired partner, moving faster as he kissed Ichigo's addicting mouth, helping to remove the teen's own annoying clothes to allow heated skin to slide against each other, electricity seemingly sparking more desire.

" **Shall we move on?"** The spirit's echoing voice caressed the hybrid's ears as they broke away once more. The white form slinked down to settle between long tan legs, bringing a hand up to his own face. Uncertain of what to do, Ichigo laid propped on his elbows as he quietly watched as Shiro placed three slender fingers in between snow white lips. Gold and brown eyes locked onto each other as the albino sucked on his own appendages, occasionally taking them out to sensually lick in between, as well as from base to tip, as he slathered them in saliva.

" **I need ya to relax Ichi. Be patient."** The spirit spoke reassuringly. Ichigo nodded as his lover's hand reached down. Gripping the bedsheets, the teen's breath hitched when a single finger was inserted into his tight entrance. Squirming a bit, the orange haired hybrid tried his best to relax as recommended whilst the finger pumped in and out several times before a second was added. Shiro noticed his lover's discomfort, and began to use his free hand to stroke his partner's member, to distract from the preparations as he continued to finger the entrance, occasionally making scissoring motions before adding a third.

"Gah!" The teen gasped as a flash of heat swept throughout his body, feeling a tug at their soul. He dropped his head back onto the pillow, spine arching off the mattress as precise fingers hit his prostate again, sending another wave of pleasure to course through his veins. The albino snickered to himself as he watched Ichigo squirm, bucking his hips to get more while his knees began to bend, heels digging into the bed. Suddenly, the orangette's eyes snapped open, not sure when he closed them to begin with, and looked down at his Zanpakuto in confusion when the other had removed all physical contact out of nowhere. Shiro chuckled aloud, noting the lust filled eyes of swirling chocolate belonging to his lover, who was breathing heavily as the pale replica spread tan legs and stroked himself to full hardness before placing the tip of his own colorless arousal to Ichigo's entrance

A silent exchange of want passed between the two, then the hollowfied spirit was pushing inside. Enticing moans spilled past pink lips as Shiro sheathed himself, groaning while tight muscles stretched and clamped down on him like a magnet. After pausing for a moment, to allow the other to adjust, the pale form began to move slowly. He quickly picked up the pace, encouraged by the teen' incoherent mewls and pants, which became a stream of yells and groans as his prostate was rammed into over and over again. The Zanpakuto hooked long legs over his shoulder as he leaned forward, swallowing those sweet sounds as he devoured soft lips, bending the orangette's body in the process. Meanwhile, Ichigo had wrapped his arms around the other's neck, digging fingers into snowy tresses, desperate to get closer.

A light flashed in dark chocolate eyes, and the Shinigami hybrid was spraying cum onto his stomach and chest, yelling out his partner's name. He was quickly followed by Shiro, who groaned, breathlessly saying " **Ichi"** as Ichigo clamped down on his manhood like a death hand, the two panted, their bodies shiny with sweat in the low light of the room as they came down from their sex high. After a minute, the albino slid out his softened length. However, Ichigo felt restlessness boil in his stomach as he sat up.

Ichigo wanted something else, something more. In an instant, he lunged forward, catching Shiro by surprise as the teen grabbed the back of his head and crashed their mouths together. A new fight began as their tongues danced for dominance, teeth clashing and biting. The orangette pulled the other down, flipping them over so that the albino was lying below his wielder. Breaking their savage kiss, Shiro attempted to get the upper hand and switch their positions once more, only to get his wrists trapped above his head in a single hand with a vise-like grip.

" **So, King wants his crown back."** The alabaster sword spirit leered. The orange haired hybrid merely chuckled at the statement, moving a single knee between porcelain legs to rub against the albino's already hardening member. "Well, you don't seem to be disagreeing with the notion."

With that, instinct guided the teen as he attacked his lover's pale neck, nipping and sucking along the jugular. One of his hands reached down, grabbing both of their reawakening erections, stroking their heated rods and allowing his fingers to slicken with a mixture of their spent semen and newly leaking pre-cum. Meanwhile, the hollowfied Zanpakuto was writhing and mewling at the extra foreplay, his black nails digging into tanned upper arms when the hand that had trapped his wrists moved on to pinch and twist a pale pert nipple. Next thing he knew, Shiro found himself flipped onto his stomach, a cool breath gracing heated skin as Ichigo nuzzled the back of his winter white neck.

"You smell so sweet, Zan-ge-tsu." The hybrid purred sinfully, his mind embraced by dominating carnal desire. The pale Zanpakuto shivered as his true name was spoken sensually, wanting his King to do more. As if reading mind, Ichigo bit down on the back of his neck, sucking on a sensitive spot, causing the albino to howl with want, suddenly noticing that tan fingers had already entered him, stretching taut flesh. Clutching his pillow, Shiro bit down on his bottom lip, holding back moans as he was prepared. The moment the pale figure yelped, white flashing before his eyes as blood roared in his ear, signaling the discovery of his prostate, his rear was raised in the air, kneeling on the bed.

In a single swift movement, the King mounted his horse, all the way to the hilt, releasing a gasp of delight at the tightness whilst his hollowfied sword's mouth fell open in a silent scream of minute pain. A moment passed, before Ichigo slowly, then rapidly, began pounding into Shiro from behind, striking his prostate repeatedly. He gripped ivory hips with a bruising force as he rode his lover into submission. While Ichigo had been loud when he bottomed, Shiro was screaming in ecstasy a he moved to meet his King's thrusts. Ichigo's thrilled growls reverberated throughout the room, intertwining with albino's song, the pale form pushing back, wanting to be filled more as he felt a hard chest rest against his back, mischievous teeth nibbled on an ivory ear. Reiatsu weaved and pulled between them. In quick succession, the pair came once more with animalistic bliss.

For a moment, time seemed to still as their breath was stolen by a delicious pleasure that was far more satisfying than the first round could ever be. Then, they collapsed beside each other, disconnecting as the teen moved to spoon his beloved from behind. Their energy was drained at last as they settled to enjoy each other's presence. Bringing the blanket up to over their bare bodies, the King hugged his Shiro closer to his chest as he drifted off to sleep, nuzzling snowy hair to take in the sweet scent of his deadly Snow White.

* * *

 **There you go. Happy perving.**


	20. Preparations

**I really shouldn't make promises I can't keep. Better late than never I guess.**

* * *

Chapter 20

 **H** _a_ Ha. _E_ v **e** n **i** f **y** _o_ u r **is** _e_ **u** p _a_ t **h** ou _s_ **a** n _d_ ti **m** es, t _he_ r **e** wil **l b** e n **o** vi **c** t _o_ r **y** fo _r_ a **n** yof y **ou**.  H **e** e _h_ **e** e! **P** a **th** etic. K **n** o _w_ t h **e** tr u **e fa** ce o **f** d es **p** air. _P_ erha _p_ s **yo** u _a_ re a **f** ra _id_.  H _a_! I'll **ki** ll _yo_ u! I'l _l_ e _at_ you u **p** , p _u_ ny S **hin** ig _a_ m **i.** **A** H _H_ A **H** A HA _H_ A **H** A H _A_ H **A** H A H _A_ _H_ **A** HA H **A H** _A H_ A! _!_

"Gah!" Ichigo bolted to sitting position. A cold sweat clung strands of orange to his forehead to dangle over his widened brown eyes. Taking in a slow breath to calm his racing heart, the teen ran a shaky hand through his hair. Images of shadowy echoes, threatening to steal everything and everyone away, finally faded away to leave the orangette alone in bed as the sun spilled through the window.

 _'It's only a dream.'_ The Shinigami hybrid sighed, feeling more at ease as he brought himself to complete wakefulness. _'_ _I've already defeated_ them, _so being scared is pointless.'_ He thought, mildly wondering if he should've taken on Urahara's offer for therapy, as he glanced at the clock sitting on his night stand, reading 10:48am. Looking down, he frowned as he realized that he was wearing his green shirt and plaid pajama pants. Something he didn't recall putting on at any point last night. Something in Ichigo's head suddenly went off, and his left hand shot up to catch a bright yellow ball, a stress ball, inches from his left temple. Turning towards the bedroom door, the orangette stared in confusion as Shiro strolled into the room, tossing another blue ball up and down with his right hand while a small woven basket filled with dozens more colorful balls was being carried under his left arm, and a plate of something balanced on top of his head.

 **"Morning."** The albino Zanpakuto walked across the room's wooden floor before sitting down at the edge of the bed. Dropping the blue ball into the basket, he placed the basket down, on his right, then handed the plate on his head over to his king, revealing it to be a plate of omurice.

"Oh, uh, thanks." Ichigo accepted the dish, tossing his own ball into the basket with the others. Picking up the spoon lying on the white plate, the teen cut into the fluffy egg, scooping up the fried rice inside. Taking a bite, he immediately recognized Yuzu's recipe, prompting him to shovel a second bite into his mouth.

"Did you go out and get this from Yuzu?" Asked the hybrid, pausing his spoon. He was graced by a nod in return. **"Yeah. I went ahead and went over to the clinic. She, Karin, and Goat-face were pretty worried when they heard about ya, but I let them know how yer doing. Orihime is conscious and should be fully healed in a day or so, and Four-eyes refuses to leave her side. Nobu-chan would've been with him, but he had school. The rest are still out, searching."**

"Still haven't found anything?" Questioned Ichigo. Shiro tsked. **"We're being taunted. Every now and then, there'll be a burst of Rukia's reiatsu at random times and places, but nothing is ever found when they get investigated."**

"I see…" The teen stared at the squiggle of ketchup decorating his omelette as he ate more of the omurice, despite his loss of appetite. Looking up again, he noticed that the edges of Shiro's usual smirk was twitching slightly as he merely sat on the bed, his head turned to stare out the window. "Alright, what's wrong?"

The pale sword spirit hesitated, golden eyes tracing the ceiling as he searched for the proper words. His smirk faded away. **"I'm sorry."**

The hybrid raised an eyebrow as his other half faced him. **"I brought ya back, only for ya to go through everything again. I was stupid enough to not considered what could happen if ya ever came back to this town. I let-mph!"**

A spoonful of omurice was promptly shoved into Shiro's mouth, silencing the baffled teen smirked at his Zanpakuto's shocked face as he took his spoon back, leaving his sword to slowly chew on the egg and rice.

"Don't say that." Ichigo gobbled up another spoonful of the rice stuffed omelette before continuing. "If I'm not allowed to apologize, then neither are you. I know you had to go through a lot of bullshit for my sake, even going as far as going against your nature and purposely holding back our power, by yourself, because of my weak ass. So don't regret what happened."

The orangette held up a spoonful of egg, rice, and ketchup to Shiro, who opened his mouth and accepted the offering, as the Shinigami hybrid spoke once more. "You said so yourself,'There will always be I should've, no matter what you do, but that was then and this is now.'"

The albino swallowed the omurice he was consuming before grinning widely. **"Time really does change things."**

"Oi, oi! What's with that face?!" Ichigo cried out, quickly reaching a free hand forward to cup a pale cheek and use his thumb to wipe away tears that were welling up from dark eyes. Shiro burst into echoing laughter, leaning into the warm hand. Sitting up straight, the Zanpakuto pulled away from the hand, and wiped his face. Then, he snatched the spoon out of Ichigo's hand, and devoured more of the omurice. Rolling his eyes, the orange haired teen surrendered the plate, not really caring to argue. "So, why am I wearing pajamas I didn't put on?"

 **"Oh that."** The pale spirit polished off the last of the omurice, then set the plate onto the nightstand. **"You were rushing when ya got home last night. Ya skipped out on dinner, and weren't exactly the cleanest when ya went to bed. So, I took the liberty to possess yer body and clean up a bit, while ya slept."**

At that last part, the teen narrowed his eyes skeptically at his boyfriend. "You didn't grope me, did you?"

Hysterical laughter rang out. **"Haha! Nah. If I wanna grope ya, I'll do it when yer awake. That way you'll feel it. Heh heh…"**

A tick mark appeared on Ichigo's forehead as he scowled at his giggling Zanpakuto. Coughing into his fist, he decided it be best to ignore the comment. "Anyways, if you're going to complain about me skipping dinner, why'd you eat my food?"

 **"Well, little known fact: between a Shinigami and their Zanpakuto, only one has to eat for both to be fed."**

"Now that you mention it, I do feel full. Even though I had only a third of the omurice." The orangette looked down at his stomach, processing the existence of such an oddity. Suddenly, he leaned over his nightstand and grabbed his Substitute Shinigami badge. Popping out of his body, he quickly got out of bed, using his fingers to hurriedly comb through his hair. "Well, it's 11:07 now, so we might as well get going. Will you stay materialized, or head back inside our inner world.?"

 **"I'll stay out. Gotta take yer horse out for a run sometimes, eh?"** Shiro replied. With that, he followed his king out the window as the blitzed to the Urahara Shoten.

* * *

"Come in! Come in! Must I say, you're looking much better this morning!" Urahara cried out with delight when Ichigo and Shiro arrived at the Shoten, right after making a quick stop at the clinic to exchange greetings. The blonde shopkeeper ushered in the two look alikes, guiding them towards the usual backroom. Once they were seated at the round coffee table, the bucket-hatted man hurried out of the room before returning with multiple items and setting them onto the table. Picking up a small black pill dispenser with a label reading "ヘア変更", the shopkeeper hands the device over to Ichiru. "As promised, I have prepared some products for your disguise. Go ahead and swallow one of the pills in that dispenser."

Looking down at the device in hand, the orangette felt frozen by the thought of more pills. After quickly glancing at his albino twin, sitting to his right, the teen squeezed his eyes shut and hit the button to pop one of the little beads into his mouth. The smooth object was quickly swallowed, followed by a slight tingling in the hybrid's scalp. Upon hearing a low whistle from his Zanpakuto, the Shinigami hybrid opened his eyes to see that a foot tall mirror had been propped onto the table before him. In the reflective surface, he could see that his shoulder length hair, and his eyebrows were now a basic brown color.

"It's a temporary color change." Explained the mad genius, drawing attention back to himself as he brought out his stupid fan. "When you get back, you'll take another pill to return to normal."

"Now if you don't mind, that'll be 65 thousand yen, please!" Urahara gleefully extended his hand, only to quickly retract it when two pairs of eyes began shooting burning knives in his direction. Hiding behind his fan, he waved his free hand in surrender. "Kidding, kidding!"

Getting back to business, the ex-Shinigami handed over two navy blue metal bracelets, urging the teen to put them on. "These are Reiatsu scramblers. They'll alter the makeup of the signature that others sense emanating from you. That way, anyone who knew you from before won't recognize your reiatsu."

After putting on the bands, several more minutes passed while Ichiru was outfitted into his disguise. Once he was done, the hybrid was wearing a black cloth mask over his nose and mouth. His Shihakusho was replaced by a simple grey longsleeve shirt. Instead of a hakama, he was also sporting a pair of dark grey cargo pants with the cuffs tucked into black combat boots.

 **"Pfft, ha ha ha ha!"** Zangetsu howled with laughter as Ichiru sat back down, after changing. **"Ha! Ya look look like ya can't decide between being emo or a ninja! Hee hee. Ya want some eyeliner to go with that?"**

This earned the snickering albino a hard smack upside the head. Urahara watched the small exchange with amusement before clearing his throat. "Maa maa, there's no need to fight. Now, Kurokatu-san, since you can't seal your Zanpakuto, you're going to have to leave it-"

"Him." Ichiru interrupted, not bothering to look up at the Geta-Boushi, as he and Zangetsu engaged in a stare off, a scowl versus a smirk. The blonde man blinked before nodding to himself behind his fan. "Of course. What I meant to say is, you'll have to leave Zangetsu-san's bladed form here."

 **"No we don't."** Zangetsu Shiro turned to look at Urahara from across the coffee table, reluctantly giving in to Ichiru's stare. The hollowfied spirit extended a pale hand towards his two bladed selves, which were currently leaning against the wall off to the right. Immediately, the two swords flew towards the alabaster form, only to dissolve like wet paper, midway, leaving nothing but air behind.

"Impressive." The Scientist applauded, no doubt analyzing and storing the memory of this information in his brain for late. The sword spirit shrugged in response. "I can only temporarily manipulate my bladed form while my humanoid form is materialized. Once I return to our inner realm, our blades will return."

Humming in acknowledgement, Urahara pointed his, now closed, fan towards the Zanpakuto spirit. "So, would another disguise be an order?"

Ichiru snickered internally, elated that Shiro will have to wear something just as distasteful as his own outfit. However, that thought went down the drain when SHiro's smirk remained as he replied. **"Nah, only a reiatsu concealer is needed."**

With that, the blonde shopkeeper gt up and left the room to retrieve the requested item. The moment that the clacking footsteps faded, Ichiru turned towards his other half. His porcelain skinned friend was sporting a sheepish grin as he looked at the teen.

"Something you've been meaning to tell me?" Asked the orangette, raising an eyebrow.

 **"Well, it's something from the Old Man. Since ya remember everything, I'm pretty sure you can connect the dots."** Shiro responded before crossing his arms onto the low table and resting his head. The teen, meanwhile, nodded to himself, as if confirming a suspicion he had. "You're going to use the Quincy Shadow?"

 **"Yeah."**

"What was he like? While he was suppressing you, I mean?"

 **"He was ok. Not a big talker, as you can probably imagine, but his motives were clear and the same as mine. I respected that. It wasn't painful or anything, though the restraints did leave me feeling restless and agitated at times. I decided not to fight against them, mainly because you were too weak to handle your own strength at the time anyways."**

 **"When I started speaking to ya, he had agreed to slowly loosening the binds, admitting that his original plan needed to be changed. From there, the seals were loosened in accordance to yer growth, but he was still reluctant to remove them completely. What happened next, you already know."**

A melancholic silence settled between the two as they remembered their cloaked friend, and lost soul. That moment ended once Urahara returned with the required cloak in hand. After handing over the black cloth, the ex-Shinigami Captain headed back out of the room. "I trust you to do what you need to. Yukio-san and Riruka-Chan should've been here awhile ago, so I'll be outside waiting."

The sliding door closed with a loud clack, whilst the hollowfied sword slipped on the midnight mantle, pulling the hood up to cover his snowy hair. In the next instant, Shiro melted into a shadow, which then crept up Ichiru's clothes before settling over his, already black, mouth mask.

"This feels… Interesting." The teen shivers from the peculiar feeling of the ghostly coolness seeping into his mask. He couldn't help but feel slightly apprehensive about being in such close proximity of a Quincy shadow, considering past encounters. Though, the more he focused on who was controlling the seeping darkness, the more at ease he felt. "So, what's it like, and when can I learn to do that technique?"

 **"Well, when one uses the shadow, they're creating a portal into a personal pocket dimension that connects between the Schatten Bereich and outer realms. And before you ask, I don't know nor care about the Schatten Bereich other than the fact that it's like a shadow realm that's attached to the Soul Society and is where the Wandenreich was hiding for centuries."** Shiro's voice echoed into his king's left ear, as if Ichigo were wearing a single ear bud. **"Even though yer reiatsu gets completely sealed away from the outer realm while inside here, I still need this cloak to avoid getting overwhelmed by Quincy reiatsu, being part hollow and all."**

"Is it that bad?" Whispered the teen, realizing that he'll need to keep it down since he can't communicate with his boyfriend telepathically, as he stood to exit the shop. Meanwhile, the alabaster sword spirit gazed around the swirling dark, noting how cold it seemed compared to the void beyond, as he considered his answer. **"It's not deadly, if that's what ya mean. The place just gives me an irritating itch, like receiving a constant stream of static shock, when it senses my hollow energy. I'll show ya how it's done once we find time."**

"Yeah. Now that I think about it, there's a list of things that I have yet to master or even try." Spoke the ninja hybrid in agreement before stepping out into the sun where eUrahara and Yoruichi were waiting with two others.

"Finally! Is this the guy? Hey you! You're Ichiru, right?! You're late!" Riruka huffed haughtily with her arms crossed, her usual magenta pigtails cascading from either side of her head. The each of her pigtails was tied up by fluffy white hair ties with a miniature pair of cotton bunny ears protruding from the tops of each elastic band. She wore a pink cotton, hooded jacket that reached down to just below her chest while the pink sleeves were long enough to cover most of her two hands. A black shirt was worn underneath to cover the rest of her torso. She was also wore a denim skirt with a fake bunny tail attached to the back, along with a pair of black thigh high boots.

"Oh, please. We were suppose to be here at noon. It's 12:23 now. If anyone's late, it's us." Yukio chimed in, rolling his green eyes as he continued to play with his mobile game. Unlike Riruka, who hadn't seemed to change much over the years, the blonde Fullbringer was vastly different than before. He was about a head taller, with a slightly muscular bulk added to his previously scrawny frame. Although his hair was styled relatively the same with a black cap on top, Yukio was now sporting a slight stubble on his cheeks. Currently, he was wearing a black button up shirt, matched with a pair of grey slacks and navy sneakers.

"We were visiting Orihime!" Riruka shouted defensively. "At least I was compassionate. All you did was say 'Hello' and just walked out! How does your wife stand your frozen heart?"

"Riiight, because yelling at an injured person to get better already is so compassionate. And my wife stands me by loving me enough to give me to kids, thank you. I know you think they're cute." Was the response, causing the magenta haired female to turn red and avert her eyes as she pouted. "S-shut up!"

Ichigo had to bite his lip to keep from laughing out loud, delighted to see the two former Xcution members again. Although, he was a bit miffed about hiding his identity from them, he trusted Urahara's decision to send him out incognito. Shuffling his feet, the Shinigami hybrid stood awkwardly, wondering if it was safe to speak or not. Thankfully, Yoruichi noticed his discomfort.

"All right. How about we get going, ok?" The feline lady strode past the group, flashing the teen a knowing wink, before gesturing for Urahara to open a Senkaimon. With the gate open, a couple Jigokucho fluttered out, signaling direct access to the gate in Seireitei. Without a word, Yoruichi, Yukio, Riruka, and finally Ichigo leapt through, closing the doors behind them.

* * *

"..."

"You seem nervous."

"Is it that obvious?"

"I wouldn't be mentioning it if it wasn't."

"I... I'm just not sure if this is right... What do you think?"

"Honestly, I can't tell you that."

"Well you're no help."

"This is the path you chose, so you should see it to the end. Only time will tell if it was truly right. Besides, my hands _are_ tied here."

"Oh yeah... I'm really sorry about this."

"Sigh. It's fine. I may not agree with your initial approach, but I do understand your motives."

"So... you're not mad?"

"I didn't say that."

"Oh."

"Just make sure she returns safely. And don't let him suffer more than he has already. They're my close friends."

"... I'll try. It's the least I can do for you after what I've done."

"Thank you."

"..."

"..."

"I'm sorry."

* * *

 **Eeh? I hope this one wasn't too boring with multiple expositions. Fear not, the next one should be more explosive.**


	21. Explosive Exposition

**Yeesh. Well, better late than never I suppose.**

* * *

Chapter 21

It didn't take long to reach the other side, and the group of four stepped out onto the platform before the great Senkaimon Gate of the Seireitei. Immediately, Ichiru had to stop, lest he fall over in amazement as he beheld the sight of the rebuilt Seireitei. The structure of the Senkaimon and its platform was relatively the same, with the Kido Corp. members guarding the area, but there was a large elevator, built into the left side of the structure, that seemed to be used for cargo and large numbers of people, with its wide open design, likened to a helicopter landing pad. Here and there, the teen could spot Shinigami carrying around some sort of Kido-powered tablets, as they went about their business. However, what truly caught Ichiru's eyes, was the massive archway that toward over the remains of the Sokyoku hill. The monument's twin, alabaster pillars, extending down, on either side of the hill, only to curve outward and expand as the bases disappeared amongst the nearby barracks.

"Are you done gawking yet?" Riruka grumbled, tapping her foot impatiently as she stood to the side.

"Cut him some slack, Ri-chan." Spoke up Yoruichi, before Ichiru could respond. Coming up on his left, the feline casually slung her arm over the hybrid's shoulders. "It's his first time here. Now, I need to go check in on some things, so take care of Ichi-chan for me, 'kay? Just head out to the edge of Seireitei and I'll find ya. Ciao!"

In a flash, she was gone, leaving the group to themselves. Ichiru could see her speeding off towards the clearly labelled Squad 1 barracks, mildly wondering if the others could see her movement as well.

"Tsk, fickle feline. Her cat form isn't even that cute." Riruka grumbled to herself before strolling towards the edge of the platform and called over her shoulder. "Come on ninja newbie!"

The teen bit his cheek to keep back an annoyed growl as he listened to Shiro snickering within the shadow. Following the two Fullbringers, Ichiru stepped into thin air to free fall into the complex below. Before they ended u splattering all over the concrete ground, the three eased into Bringer Light and Shunpo, respectively, and took off, moving along the tops of the abundant rows of walls. As Ichiru kept at a slower pace to keep in time with the other two, he took in as much of the layout as he could, noting that the roads were actually in a simple grid-like pattern, rather than a stupid fucking maze. Plus, the goddamn hollow pits were finally gone.

Racing along the walls, the teen's instinct screamed red alert, prompting him to suddenly yank back the other two as the segment of the wall before them crumbled in a loud crash, exploding in a cloud of dust and debris. A looming figure stepped out of the created cloud of dust, standing on the ground towards the left side of the broken wall. "Come on Toshiro! Quit running and fight me!"

Kenpachi of Zaraki laughed savagely, brandishing his sword as the sun glinted off his metal eyepatch, strapped to his head by two small chains. The Captain of Squad 11 was, now, also wearing a metal collar, while a single marble-sized bell hung from his left ear, with his spiky hair cut to his shoulders and the left side of his head shaved off. Upon hearing Toshiro's name, Ichiru turned his gaze towards where Kenpachi was shouting at, and found the tenth Squad Captain standing atop an adjacent wall to the left. The ice Captain was just as short as before, though his silver hair was now in a short ponytail with a few loose strands in his face.

"It's Hitsugaya-Taichou!" Snapped the frost midget, glaring daggers at Zaraki, before taking a deep breath to speak calmly. "I've already told you, I'm not interested. Now go find someone else to fight."

"Hey! Don't we get an apology! You could've hit us!" Riruka shouted angrily, drawing both captains' attention towards the group. Kenpachi boredly scratched his ear in response. "If ya don't wanna get cut, ya shouldn't be in the way."

"Why you…!" Fumed the female Fullbringer. Meanwhile, Yukio had paused his game for once, and was now holding a steady gaze with the 10th Squad Captain.

"Yukio."

"Hitsugaya." The two exchanged a calm greeting of respect. Toshiro's line of sight moved on to Ichiru, frowning as he examined the unfamiliar figure. "Who is this?"

A cold sweat clung to the teen's neck, as the Ice Captain scrutinized him from afar. Ichiru's creeping nervousness intensified when Kenpachi finally noticed him and grinned. "Who cares? I wanna fight 'im!"

"This guy here is Ichiru." Yukio answered, ignoring Kenpachi. "I'm told he's not much of a talker, but he works for Urahara. Speaking of which, we're on a job for Urahara."

Hitsugaya hummed in acknowledgment before suddenly shunpoing in front of the disguised teen, analyzing intensely. Ichiru stared back, frozen in place. He knew that if Toshiro found out, he'd be easy to convince to keep quiet, but with Kenpachi nearby, who'd probably be too delighted with having a potential sparring buddy to keep quiet, Ichiru couldn't risk discovery right now. Confusion crossed icy blue eyes. "Have we met before?"

Ichiru slowly shook his head no, hoping to appear casual. Thankfully, Toshiro seemed at least mildly satisfied with that answer and backed away. "Alright. Pardon me for stalling you. I'm sure you'd like to get your job over with. It was nice to meet you Ichiru-san."

With that, he shunpoed away, off to continue his Captain duties. Following quickly behind was a screaming Kenpachi, running after the other, sword raised and demanding a battle. With her hands on her hips, Riruka walked forward, huffing. "Finally! Can we get on with this already?"

No sooner did she speak, both Yukio and Ichiru sped off, leaving a raging tsundere to go after them with Bringer Light.

* * *

"So, how'd you like Seireitei, Ichi-chan?" Asked the cat form of Yoruichi, lounging on a boulder in the outskirts of the Shinigami Headquarters, as the trio approached. Sticking with the silent act, the Shinigami hybrid gave a thumbs up to show his amazement. Nodding in response, Yoruichi meowed a yawn and stretched before leaping down from her boulder. "Well, no time to waste, we have some information to collect, so follow me."

The group took off, taking to the treetops of the nearby woods, with the black cat in the lead. Soon, they left the treelines to race across a wide plain of green. Approaching a hill, they could see a large structure sitting at the top. As they got closer, they cold hear loud crashing sounds, as well as the occasional explosions. "Stand still, so I can kill you!"

The group of four stood silently in shocked disbelief before the Shiba establishment. The building itself was the same as ever with the massive cannon standing behind it, but the two supports, holding up the Shiba banner, was now a pair of giant stone lobster claws. To the left of the family home, was a construction site of an array of firework cannons, strapped together in a three-story cone shape, with some of the cannons scattered on the ground. Kukaku could be seen on a raised platform, about two stories high, raging and firing cherry bombs, using a mechanical arm with a built in cannon replacing her amputation, at a panicked Ginjo Kugo, who was fleeing for his life below. Sprawled facedown on the ground, was also, the smoldering unconscious body of Shiba Ganju.

Meanwhile Kutsuzawa Giriko was calmly standing behind a makeshift bar, located next to the left lobster claw pillar, cleaning a glass, while Tsukishima Shukuro sat upon one of the bar stools, casually leaning back against the bar as he read a book. A small cup of tea sat beside him. The scene was so comical, that Ichiru almost forgot what the previous Shinigami Daiko had done. Almost.

However, Yoruichi didn't seem to think that the event was funny enough, as her small feline form shunpoed forward, and in an instant, leaped onto Ginjo's face before immediately jumping away. The large man was stunned just long enough for Kukaku to finally hit her mark, the explosion torching the Fullbringer and sending him flying into the air before gravity brought him down to land on his face and in a smoking heap.

"Aye, Yoruichi-chan!" Kukaku shouted in greeting, grinning from ear to ear as she leaped down to greet the cat. "What brings you back so soon?"

"Trouble in Karakura. It's not world-ending, but we need some information from Ginjo there, to resolve it faster." Yoruichi replied in her deep baritone. Kukaku tsked. "Fine, I'll let the lazy oaf talk."

"I see the festival fireworks have yet to be put up. What happened to the twins, Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko? They always finish the job in record time." Yoruichi's inquisition prompted Ichiru to peer around and realize that the two Muscular subordinates of the Shiba Clan, were in fact missing. His attention was brought back as Kukaku stalked off towards Ginjo. "Their mother's ill, so I let them take a few weeks off to tend to her. Come on ya big lug! You're lucky you've got visitors!"

The Shiba head kicked the former Xcution member in the side, eliciting a groan from the fallen form. "I'm going, I'm going!"

Ginjo heaved himself up, exhausted from running around like a headless chicken, with a look of annoyance. Dusting off his leather jacket, he trudged over to the group. Taking in the sight of his visitors, the Fullbringer grinned. In that moment, Ichiru froze, his breath quickening. He was torn between the urge to either flee, or strike down this being before him, for daring to even fucking _think_ about betraying his trust.

" **Calm down KIng."** Shiro's echoing voice poured in. " **Focus on my voice. Take a deep breath, and let it go."**

Ichiru clenched his teeth in frustration for this minor mental breakdown as he did as he was told. Breathing deeply, he focused his eyes on the grass, swaying in the breeze, at his feet.

" **Better?"** Asked the pale Zanpakuto, calm yet concerned.

"Yeah. Thanks" Ichiru whispered back before looking up again to see that Ginjo was engaging in a small meaningless chat with Riruka before laughing out loud, annoying the twin tailed girl. "Ha ha! ANyways, you needed info right? I'll it to ya one condition."

The group shot a look of disdain at the former Xcution leader. Ginjo laughed nervously, raising his hands in defense. "It's not that bad, I swear! All I ask is for someone to take over my job as Kukaku's underling for the day. Just disassemble that cannon pyramid thing over there. It could've been put away already, if SOMEONE WOULD BOTHER TO PITCH IN!"

He shouted that last part at his two companions, still at the makeshift bar, but both promptly ignored him.

"Alright. Deal." Sighed Yoruichi, cleaning her paw. When she was done, she leaped up and settled onto Ichiru's shoulder, before fixing Ginjo with her intense golden eyes. "What do you know about dead Fullbringers who become hollows?"

Ginjo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, to start, the hollowfication process won't affect a Fullbringer for a much longer time compared to regular plus souls. If it does happen, the process won't affect a Fullbringer's mind, since we're technically part hollow already, but their spiritual body will partially mutate and an incomplete mask will form."

Exhaling, the man closed his eyes and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "I don't know what happens in the long run. The cases I've witnessed all end in the Hollowfied Fullbringers committing suicide or simply vanish into the night."

Looking towards the others, Ichiru could see shock on both Riruka and Yukio's faces, and wondered if they'd known any former members who'd died and their soul form simply disappeared, before he's shown up. His thought process was quickly interrupted by Yoruichi's deep baritone. "I'm sorry to hear that, but there's just one more thing we'd like to know. Do you know of anyone named Sandra?"

Ginjo's eyes opened in surprise. "Sandra? Yeah, she was an Xcution member before she died in a car accident and her Soul form never showed up. She was about 19 at the time too. Quiet, but a sweet girl."

"That's not what I remember." Tsukashima spoke up, strolling over to the group. "She may have mostly kept to herself, but she's threatened others with targeting their loved ones if she dislikes their actions, and was known to keep close to you, Ginjo. Only reason you probably haven't heard about this is because she usually blackmailed them to keep quiet."

"Really? I never noticed. Wait, why didn't you tell me if you knew?! Oh, yeah, you don't care about those kinds of things." Exclaimed Ginjo, muttering the last part. Tsukishima merely looked to the side, as if to say 'Duh'.

"Regardless." Tsukishima continued, looking at Yoruichi. "Sandra's Fullbring is 'Love is Insane'. She didn't use it very much, nor talk about it with others, so none of us know the full extent of her abilities. I do know that it seems to be some form of persuasion. She has green eyes, brown hair and a fairly average build and height, if that helps.

The black cat nodded her head in response. "Yes, thank you. Is there anything else you can think of?"

"Oh!" Ginjo exclaimed suddenly. "Sandra had a brother didn't she?"

"Yes, but he never joined Xcution. I highly doubt if he even had any Fullbring abilities." Came Tsukishima's response.

"Whatever. Anyways, that's all we know, so unless there are any other questions, it's time you guys held up your end of the bargain." Ginjo smirked. Almost immediately, Yukio, Riruka, and Yoruichi turned to face Ichiru.

"Huh?" The teen blinked in confusion at the stares.

"Oh yeah, who is this guy anyways?" Questioned Ginjo, whilst Tsukishima walked back to the bar to return to his book.

"This is Ichiru, and he'll be taking your place for the day." Yoruichi answered slyly. This caused the Shinigami Hybrid to step back in surprise. "What? Why?!"

"So you do talk." Riruka piped up. "Well, you can't really expect a cute girl like me to do all that heavy lifting, and Yukio is too busy with his games, family, and company to work out. Besides, there's a limit to how heavy an object can be for us to lift with our Fullbring powers."

"And I have to head back to relay this information to Kisuke." Added Yoruichi. Ichiru sighed, pretty sure that the part about limits with Fullbring is complete bullshit, considering how lazy both Yukio and Riruka can be at times. So of course he's stuck with the hard part.

* * *

It was exhausting, moving around all of the firework cannons, but Ichiru somehow managed to complete his task and disassembled the festival structure. With the job complete, Kukaku had actually pulled him to the side, privately, to give her cousin a back breaking hug to congratulate his return. Dinner was good, if a bit loud with Kukaku yelling at both Ginjo and Ganju for their incompetence. Now, finally, Ichiru was given his own room for the night, where he collapsed onto the futon, feeling drained as he went ahead and removed his mask and pulled up the covers. It wasn't long before sleep took over.

Turning in his futon, Ichiru clenched his teeth, breathing escalating, as crimson creeped into his dreams. Chocolate eyes moved wildly behind closed lids as the teen turned onto his left side. Before a strangled cry could escape, a pale hand swiftly covered the hybrid's mouth. Shiro quietly shushed his dreaming King as he melted out of the shadows, still wearing his borrowed reiatsu-concealing cloak. Sitting down, the albino carefully moved his wielder's head to rest comfortably in his lap. Alabaster fingers ran through orange strands, painted brown, as he poured reiatsu into Ichiru's mind, pushing him into a deeper sleep, where bloody dreams won't be found.

"I was wondering where you'd disappeared to." The Hollowfied Zanpakuto looked up to see Yoruichi, still in her cat form, slink into the room from who knows where. Grinning, Zangetsu replied. " **Of course. When the King is out and about, the horse isn't too far behind. What about you? Back so soon?"**

"There wasn't any new developments back in Karakura, so I came back to check on my pupil, once I was done." Padding closer, Yoruichi sat on Ichiru's blanket as she studied his sleeping face. "You know, Kisuke doesn't sleep without having some music turned on. I'd recommend some quiet instrumentals, if it'll help."

" **I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."** Silence settled in the dark room, only disrupted by soft unconscious breathing. Soon, Yoruichi curled up on her corner of the blanket, and she too was fast asleep.

* * *

 **Here are some links to character pics**

 **Riruka:** fav. me / db13ymm

 **Yukio:** fav. me / db13zk0

 **Toshiro:** fav. me / db14063

 **Kenpachi:** fav. me / db140j9

* * *

 **Verteller:** *Quickly drains a cup of tea before frantically getting back to writing.*


	22. Triple Behind a Mask

**I added some stuff at the end of chapter 20, so go check that out if you feel like it.**

 **Yeesh. I swear my updates keep taking me longer and longer to write.**

* * *

Chapter 22

"Come on, Ichi-chan!" Yoruichi called over her shoulder to the, still disguised, teen as they left the Shiba property, having already made their goodbyes after breakfast. Both Riruka and Yukio had left the day before, deeming the mad Hollowfied Fullbringer to be the Shinigami's problem, and their ambassador roles fulfilled for the time being. Thus, leaving Ichiru alone with Yoruichi. "How about we race back to the shop?"

"Why?" Questioned the hybrid testily. He was irritated since he had to deal with waking up to a naked Yoruichi asleep on top of him whilst Shiro just snickered at his dilemma in the corner. The feline lady laughed, no doubt catching on to his persisting irritation, as she led Ichiru to the treeline of the forest they'll have to pass through to directly reach the Seireitei. "Hey don't be so grumpy. It was an accident!"

"Your boobs were suffocating me! I could have died!" The teen scowled behind his cloth mask, his arms crossed defensively.

"Ok, I"m sorry, I'm sorry! Eh heh heh…" The Goddess of Flash chuckled sheepishly with her hands raised in surrender. "Well, anyways, I want to race you to see just how fast you've gotten. I _know_ you've improved thanks to the Zero Squad's training. So, let's put it to the test."

"Alright, fine." The Shinigami Hybrid sighed in acceptance, allowing his arms to uncross. Grinning happily, Yoruichi quickly drew a, roughly, four feet long line in a patch of dirt before them. As the teen approached the line, Yoruichi handed him a rolled up piece of paper. "Here, you'll need to show this to the Gate Guardians in order to get them to open the Senkaimon for you, if it isn't already open when you get there."

Nodding in thanks, Ichiru accepted the pass, putting it away as he took his place beside the dark-skinned female. Standing side by side, the two opponents readied themselves, knees bent and breathes steadied as a silent breeze moved through the surrounding grass.

"3."

"2."

"1."

A twig snapped nearby, caused by some random forest creature, as if firing off a starting gun. In a flash, Ichiru was blazing through the forest, not bothering to keep track of the other, racing from tree to tree. Shunpo and Sonido was laced into each step, Bringer Light pushing him further, while Hirenkyaku increased each stride. In mere seconds, he'd crossed the spans of wood and passed the Rukongai District. Approaching the Barrack walls of the Seireitei, the teen leaped up, and began scaling along the roof tiles of a wall. Unseen by most others, he zipped through the barracks, quickly approaching the tower of the Senkaimon Gate.

"Gah!" Out of nowhere, roughly halfway through the Seireitei, a dark form collided with his foot, taking Ichiru by surprise, and sending him crashing to the concrete ground below. Groaning as he laid, sprawled face down, the teen could feel mild pain flaring throughout his body from the impact of his abrupt landing. Allowing his Instant-Regeneration to flow through him, Ichiru lifted his head, only to come face-to-face with a large dog staring down at him.

"Wha…?" The Shinigami hybrid was perplexed as he sat up, eyeing the light brown canine with pointed ears, narrow snout, pale underbelly and jaw, and a black bandana tied around its neck. The dog was staring back at the teen, eyes narrowed and its head slightly tilted to the side. Almost as if the beast were deep in thought.

"I'm so sorry! Are you ok?!" Ichiru's attention was snapped to the top of the wall he'd fallen from. Clinging to the orange tile, on all fours, was a young man in basic Shinigami attire, plus a lieutenant's badge strapped to his upper right arm, and a short dark purple scarf was wrapped over his head and tied in the back, covering his ears, with black hair peeking out and hanging above bright turquoise eyes. The Shinigami was cowering atop the tiles, slowly trying to inch behind it, whilst still keeping an eye on the pair below. Widened eyes stared down at the teen, occasionally glancing frightfully at the dog.

"I'm ok!" Ichiru called up to the guy, rubbing the back of his neck as he realized that he'd probably lost the race to Yoruichi, and feeling too bummed and baffled to get angry at the guy. Meanwhile, the Shinigami seemed relieved by the answer. "Oh good! I was clambering up here in such a haste, that I guess I didn't see you. I'm Nekoashioto Tadao by the way."

"Kurokatu Ichiru; It's fine, accidents happen." The teen replied as he stood, dusting himself off. "Why were you getting on the wall in such a hurry?"

Tadao laughed sheepishly in embarrassment as he shifted on the orange roof tile. "W-well… I ma~y or may not be terrified of… D-dogs… Uh, no offense sir." He addressed the last part to the canine, who offered a short bark in return, as if to say _it's fine_ , causing Tadao to flinch. Ichiru blinked in confusion at this exchange.

" **Come on, King. You can figure it out. Don't let yer denseness make this harder than it needs to be."** Ichiru swore that he was going to kill Shiro for mocking him as if he were a child, but this was not the time for that. Taking a quick breath to calm himself, the hybrid looked over to the dog. From his standing position, he could see the 7th squad's emblem printed on the canine's bandana, displayed on its furry back. Then it clicked.

"Komamura?!" The former captain snorted at Ichiru's surprise. The disguised Shinigami Hybrid felt awkward as it suddenly dawned on him that his disguise doesn't mask his scent. Turning his attention back to Tadao, who was slowly inching away, the teen spoke hurriedly as he waved. "Well, I need to get going. Nice to meet you Tadao!"

"Oh. Ni-" The young lieutenant attempted to return the wave, but Ichiru was already gone, as if he was never there to begin with. Sighing, Tadao scowled at the stupid mutt below him, before leaping down the wall onto the other side and walking off to attend to his duty.

* * *

"You're late." Urahara calmly observed from his seated position at the coffee table within his shop, with Yoruichi sitting beside him, munching on some rice crackers. Ichiru sighed in exasperation as he dropped down to sit at the table as he tossed both the cloth mask and reiatsu scrambling cuffs onto the wooden surface. "I know. I had a little run in and lost time."

" **Aww, don't feel bad King."** Shiro piped up, melting out of the shadows to join his wielder. Removing the reiatsu-concealing cloak he was wearing, he continued. " **Everyone Knows ya've got shitty luck."**

The teen scowled at the albino before swallowing a hair-dye pill, from the dispenser that Urahara handed him, allowing his hair to become bright orange once more.

"So, what sort of run-in did you have?" Asked the shopkeeper curiously, as the black cloak and pill dispenser was handed back to him. "Ah, one of the lieutenants was running away from Komamura. He'd jumped onto the wall I was running on and ended up tripping me. I think his name was Tadao."

"Nekoashioto?" Ichigo turned to see Renji sluggishly wander into the room; his hair was in a ratty ponytail, his clothes were disheveled, and scarlet strands hung in front of his face. The man paused at the doorway, frowning at the teen's pale Zanpakuto spirit. "Why is Zangetsu out?"

"Y **o** u **/** y **a** **g** o **t a** **p** r **o** b **l** e **m** **w** i **t** h i **t**?" Both Ichigo and Zangetsu immediately answered challenging, eyes glinting with undeterred opposition. Renji hastily raised his hands in defense. "Nothing. Forget I asked."

Shaking off the two's disgruntlement, the still mildly groggy Renji made his way, and slumped down at the table, seating himself between Ichigo and Yoruichi, before turning back to the orangette. "Anyways, Tadao's my lieutenant."

"He seems nice." Ichigo replied, mildly wondering if the lieutenant was capable against anything, except dogs, in a fight or if Renji chose Tadao to do all the paperwork. "What happened to you?"

"Oh, don't worry about him, Ichi." Yoruichi answered instead, smirking at the redhead teasingly. "Renji wouldn't stop searching for dear Rukia-chan, for anything. So Kisuke had to use _extra persuasion_ to get him to take a nap."

Both Ichigo and Zangetsu snorted in amusement at the implications while Renji groaned at the memory. After the moment passed, the SHinigami hybrid began to frown. "So, no luck finding Rukia?"

Urahara's fan clacked open, covering his mouth as he spoke, "No. However, I have managed to obtain some pictures with hidden cameras I've posted, and it seems that Rukia is not in any immediate danger. Rather, I suspect that she is merely bait being used to test the waters."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" The orangette's eyes flickered with a hint of silver.

"Right now, nothing, except keep your eyes and ears open, as you live your life like the others, until we can get more information. Even if you were to join chase searches, which only Renji, Yoruichi, and Ururu are still doing, you can't chase someone if you don't know where they are. Eventually, Sandra's going to get desperate and change her tactics. When that happens, we'll be able to learn more and have a higher chance of developing a capture plan." The shopkeeper replied calmly. Upon seeing the teen's shoulders slump, the blonde man spoke up again. "On the bright side, you did ultimately help in retrieving information from Gunjo. So, I now have a couple theories on this 'Sandra's' motive for targeting you. For this, I thank you."

The gratitude did little improve the Shinigami hybrid's mood. He opened his mouth, about to inquire about joining the chase searches anyways, when a rice cracker was promptly shoved between his teeth. Holding onto the cracker, keeping it from being spat out, was a certain grinning albino. " **Hey, no raining, King! Sometimes we gotta let the prey come to us."**

Reluctantly, Ichigo nodded in acceptance before pulling the rice cracker out of Shiro's grasp and began to snack on it. Urahara watched from behind his fan with amusement, then suddenly put his fan away before reaching under the table. "Before I forget, Kurokatu-san, I do believe that you'll be wanting these."

With that, a stack of textbooks and paper was dropped onto the table with a bang, startling Renji and Yoruichi, who were working together to untangle and braid Renji's hair. Meanwhile, Ichiru smacked himself hard with a facepalm. "Fuck! My classes!"

"Maa maa, Kurokatu-san. No need to be so upset." The shopkeeper pushed the stack closer to the student. "Just make sure you graduate with flying colors."

Looking up, the orangette couldn't help but smile with gratitude. "Yeah, thanks Geta-Boushi."

"Though naturally, this is coming out of this week's paycheck." Not the least bit surprised, Ichiru rolled his eyes at the shopkeeper as he stood up. "Well, I should probably head home then."

"Oi, Ichigo." The teen paused as Renji addressed him. The redhead hesitated, unsure of what to say before he continued. "Do you really remember your past life with us? Invading the Soul Society, Aizen's stronghold, and the Quincy war?"

"Yeah."

"What was it like, dying as a spirit?" Ichiru glanced at Shiro, standing beside him, as he contemplated on how to answer the sudden question. "Like I could finally let go of everything."

* * *

After changing back into his Shinigami attire and saying goodbye, the orangette left the candy shop with his college books whilst Shiro had already returned to their inner world. Blitzing across town, afternoon sun still high in the sky, Ichiru quickly reached his apartment, jumping through his open bedroom window, and touching down onto his carpeted floor. Setting down the textbooks onto the desk, located near the foot of the bed, the teen couldn't help but feel worry creeping along his spine. Regret mixed in as he felt responsible for not looking out for Rukia, not confronting her about her unusual behavior or even looking into that strange itching. Gritting his teeth, the Shinigami hybrid shook off the gloomy thoughts, knowing full well that they wouldn't help, and Rukia would've punched him in the gut for moping. Plus, Shiro would kill him letting it rain after such a short period of time.

Walking over to his bed, Ichiru sat down before easing back into his empty body. The moment he opened his eyes, his stomach rumbled as hunger pains made their presence known. Afterall, his body hasn't been fed in a day. Sitting up, the teen was about to get up to head to the kitchen, when a burst of reiatsu caught his attention. He could feel Rukia's presence emanating from across town at the farthest edge. The reiatsu signatures of both Yoruichi and Renji were quickly closing in on that spot, followed by Orihime (Apparently she'd been released from the clinic). Ichiru was milliseconds from joining the chase, when he remembered both Yoruichi and Urahara's words on the situation. Unlike before, he couldn't just rush in, beat up some bad guys, and then leave with his friends, saving the day like before. A feeling of uselessness washed over as he put faith in his friends' prowess, and began to shut his window.

"KUROKATU, GET OUT OF THERE!" Startled, Ichiru looked out of his window, which was still halfway open, to see a panicked Uryu standing on the rooftop of the apartment building across from Ichiru's. The hairs on the back of the orangette's neck stood on end, and he spun around just in time to dodge a deadly ivory point, allowing it to shatter the window instead. Scrambling out of bed, brown eyes widened in horror to find that the pointed object was a gleaming stinger on the end of a massive scorpion tail that was attached to a cloaked figure crawling out from under his bed. "He~re's Sandra!"

The figure lunged forward, lashing out with her tail and sigl clawed hand. Maneuvering awkwardly in the small space with Bringer Light, Ichiru dodged the attack and frantically reached his bedside table for his Substitute Shinigami badge. It wasn't there. Gritting his teeth, he sidestepped as bone-spikes embedded themselves into the wall beside him.

Thinking quickly, the teen flicked his hand towards the ceiling light. Using Fullbring, the glass bulb shattered into lethal shards, raining down to impale the crouched form's cloaked back. Screeching, more in fury than pain, the hollowfied Fullbringer leaped at the orangette, claws ripping through his shirt as he dodged, and destroyed the bedside table. In an attempt to place more distance between them, Ichiru jumped backwards, only to immediately slam into the wall of his bedroom due to the lack of space. Sandra used this opportune moment to pin the teen by the throat, her clawed hand desperately trying to pierce his Blut Vene, only drawing the most miniscule drops of blood. The Hollowed Bringer's tail raised over her head, aiming its stinger at Ichiru's widened eye.

With a flash of blue, Sandra howled in pain, releasing her grip as a Quincy arrow impaled her bone tail to the wall. Kicking the cloaked form away from himself, Ichiru ran, glancing out of his window to see Uryu still standing on the nearby rooftop, his bow hesitantly drawn. Reaching his desk, the teen turned and raised his hand to do what he should've done to begin with. Reaching out with Fullbring, the Shinigami Hybrid pulled on the material soul of his Shinigami badge. In an instant, the badge flew out of the folds of Sandra's cloak whilst she struggled with freeing her tail.

Ichiru was about to press the badge to his chest when pain flared in his hand, forcing him to drop the badge in favor of cradling his bloody palm. That fucking bitch had ripped the Quincy arrow out of her tail and hurled it at the teen, stabbing the back of his hand before finally dissipating. Following up the attack, Sandra bull rushed the teen, knocking him to the ground as she sat on top of him. In a frenzy, the mad creature ripped at his chest, tearing through his shirt, but still failing to do much damage to his skin. Teeth clenched, Ichiru reached up and wrapped his hands around a slender neck. Emerald eyes widened as the teen began to squeeze, crushing her windpipe.

Sandra's scorpion tail thrashed about in panic, too hysterical to attack, as her own hands moved to tear at the orangette's fingers. Her claws dug into the open wound, forcing the Shinigami hybrid to bite his cheek to keep from crying out. Bringing up a knee, Ichiru kicked the Hollowed Bringer in the gut, throwing her against the opposite wall. The teen heaved himself to his feet, facing off against Sandra. The other coughed as she gasped for air, a murderous rage in her eyes as she stood.

Her hood had fallen, revealing straight shoulder-length brown hair that framed a pale face, the upper half covered by a masquerade-like Hollow mask that covers her nose. The mask was gnarled with two miniature horns protruding from the forehead and curved upwards like that of a devil, while two sets of fangs grew from the bottom of the mask, curving towards her mouth like the pincers of an arachnid. The girl's upper lip curled into a snarl and she charged forward once more. However, the broken window was suddenly forced open all the way and Uryu stood between Sandra and Ichiru. With his bow already drawn, he releases an arrow that zips past the Hollowed Bringer's head. The projectile grazes her left cheek before embedding itself into the wall behind her. Sandra's shock quickly melts into pure hatred and disgust. Emerald eyes narrow in loathing as she stepped back.

"Traitor!" She spat, causing the man to flinch, before pulling up her hood and fleeing out the window. Then, she was gone. The air was tense as both Ichiru and Ishida Uryu remained frozen where they stood. After a minute passed, the teen released a sigh of relief and sat down in exhaustion. Turning his head, the orangette took in the state of hs devastated room. The walls were marred, his floor trashed, the bed shredded, broken window, obliterated light bulb, and broken furniture.

The Shinigami hybrid could feel Shiro leaving their inner world, and looked up to see Uryu approaching, his bow put away. "Are you alright Kurokatu-san?"

The Quincy asked, awfully soft spoken as he knelt by the teen. Ichiru, still cradling his bloody left hand, frowned but nodded anyways in response. "It's not that bad. What about you? You're shaking."

Uryu opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated before closing it again and looked away at a loss for words. Guilt clung to his dark eyes.

 **"Well that was interesting!"** Shiro broke the atmosphere as he strolled in, carrying a first-aid kit he'd fetched from the bathroom, and a cereal bar from the kitchen. Plopping down, next to his King, the albino handed over the cereal bar before pulling out supplies to begin cleaning and patching up Ichiru's wound, for now. He continued to speak, grinning as he worked. **"It's a shame ya can't use yer Hollow or Shinigami powers while in yer physical body, and we really need to work on self-defense against Hollows while in yer body. Oh, and ya really should've just summoned yer Fullbring outfit, even if it does look ridiculous. Much faster than popping out of yer body to fetch yer sword, which is too big for this place."**

"Well aren't you being direct with your advice for once." The teen rolled his eyes as he devoured his cereal bar, wincing in pain every now and then. After finishing the last of the bar, Ichiru turned to Uryu, who was now standing and leaning against a wall. With his head tilted in curiosity, he addressed the Quincy. "So, what was that all about? How'd you know she was here?"

"How indeed?" Startled, all three looked up to see Urahara casually sitting on the window sill, slowly fanning himself. "And why would Sandra deem you a traitor? Tell me, where's Ishida-san, and who are you really?"

* * *

 **Was this chapter too rushed? I think it might be a little fast at times. Also, does anyone care to see drawings for this fic, or have I been wasting time with them?**

* * *

 **Shiro:** *Hugs Ichigo to death* Leave my King alone, ya damn bastard!

 **Ichigo:** C-can't... B-breathe...

 **Verteller:** *Calmly sips tea* I will not.

 **Shiro:** *Releases Ichigo and smacks the tea down*

 **Verteller: *** Stares frozen at the broken cup and spilt tea*

 **Ichigo:**...

 **Verteller:**...

 **Shiro:**... Oh shi-

 **Verteller:** *Snaps fingers*

 **Shiro:** *Horrible things happen to him* AAAAAAAAGH! MAKE IT STOP! I'M SORRY!

 **Ichigo:** *Sigh* I'll take him away.

 **Verteller:** *Sips new tea* You do that.


	23. He Who Hides

**Ugh... I hate end-year exams...**

* * *

Chapter 23

Ichiru grumbled internally as he brewed the last of the tea he owned, adding that to the list of things he needed to replace, as he prepared four cups of tea in his kitchen. With each cup filled, the orangette carried them on a tray, to his living room. After setting the tray onto the coffee table, he sat on the floor, leaning back against the front of his couch. Shiro was sitting beside him, on his left, already holding his ceramic cup and blowing into the steaming beverage. Sat on the right side, on the short end, of the coffee table was Urahara, who was leisurely analyzing the modest apartment. Finally, sitting across the table from Ichiru and Shiro, was a nervously fidgeting Ishida Uryu-who-wasn't-actually-Uryu.

The blonde shopkeeper reached over the table and pushed the tea cup closer to the not-a-Quincy. Then, Urahara leaned back and brought out his stupid fan. After Not-Uryu drank some tea and set down his cup, Geta-boushi finally cleared his throat. "Now that we've all settled down, perhaps we can have a proper introduction. You may already know this, but I'm Urahara Kisuke, and these two are Kurokatu Ichiru and Zangetsu."

He gestured towards each person respectively. Ichiru watched as Not-Uryu's eyes rapidly flickered between each person, not really registering them completely, finding it jarring to see Uryu shifting like a child caught red handed and about to receive a stern scolding. After a moment passed, Not-Uryu nodded before he raised his left hand over his face. Immediately, his body flickered and a second figure popped out of the side, in a similar fashion to when Ichigo pops out of his body. The first form put his hand down, his dark hair flipped back to its original side.

"That felt… peculiar." Uryu stated, pushing up his glasses, then turned to the figure that had appeared on his left. The form wore an oversized blue T-shirt and baggy Khaki shorts, revealing his oddly mutated body, with his left leg bent backwards, coming into a tip, where his foot should've been, and covered in a hardened shell like that of an insect. His entire right arm was armored with a bone-like exoskeleton, his fingers ending in pointed tips. His left hand, which was just like the right except the exoskeleton merged into normal human skin halfway up the forearm, pulled away from his face to reveal a smooth masked covering his entire face to reveal a smooth mask covering his entire face, the only markings were two black dots and a single black horizontal line to create a blank expression, with messy black hair framing the mask. He shifted awkwardly and leaned onto his right arm to allow his mutated leg to stretch out to the side.

"Uh… I'm Suzuki Kou. Ah, I-I'm sorry! P-please forgive me!" The Hollowfied Fullbringer bowed quickly in his lopsided position,accidentally whacking his forehead on the table, and he was left curled on the floor, whimpering as he clutched his throbbing head. Shiro Zangetsu almost choked on his tea when he burst out laughing, even when Ichiru smacked him upside the head. Sighing, Uryu patted Kou on the back. "It's alright. We've talked about this. Just be honest with them and we can help you."

Kou sat up again; his simple face mask appeared almost skeptical. When he received a nod of encouragement from the Quincy, the Hollowed Bringer turned back to the others and took a deep breathe before trying again. "R-right… I'm Suzuki Kou and… I'm Suzuki Sandra's little brother by two years."

Urahara paused his fanning, whilst both Ichiru and Zangetsu halted in their tea drinking as Kou continued. "S-sis had developed her Fullbring and was found by X-xcution… b-before I showed any signs of abilities."

The raven haired teen squirmed in his spot on the floor. "W-when I did start developing Fullbring, Sis offered to teach me control in private, cuz… w-well… I'm… not too comfortable with… well…"

"Do you want me to take over, for a bit?" Uryu interrupted, which caused the Hollowed Bringer's shoulders to drop, seemingly relieved. Kou nodded his head frantically, before ducking down and covering his arms over his head, mumbling what sounded like an apology. Pushing up his glasses, the Quincy turned to the shopkeeper. "Kou doesn't like being around a lot of people, and eventually his Fullbring manifested through the mask he's currently wearing, which Sandra had given him when he was younger. His Fullbring is called 'In Plain Sight' and allows him to either simply hide within a person's mind, or attempt to possess the person by putting that mask onto their face, though it's at the cost of flipping a person's image, like a mirror.

"So, you find it easier to converse when you're pretending to be someone else?" Kou looked over the coffee table at Ichiru, who'd asked the question, and nodded shyly.

" **If that's the case,"** Zangetsu piped up, startling the poor Hollowed Bringer with his eerie voice. " **Why don't ya make up a character that happens to look like ya, and pretend to be that character?"**

"I-I've t-tried that…" Kou was visibly shaking under the albino's gaze, seeming aware of the pale form's presence for the first time. "I-I'm s-sorry… uh, I-I… uhm…"

"It's ok." Ichiru intervened, drawing attention away from his alabaster skinned twin. "Shiro here was just curious, we mean no harm. Anyways, do you think you can tell us why about Sandra and her abilities, 'Love is Insane'? And, maybe, _why_ she might want me dead?"

Shiro rolled his eyes and slumped in his seat, leaning his back against the orangette's arm, and drank his tea grumpily. Meanwhile, Kou kept his gaze set on his own cup of tea, and did his best to not look up at the albino as he spoke. "Ah, well, h-her Fullbring is manifested in uh… in an ornamental hair chopstick that she really likes. It shrinks down to these really thin needles and she can stab one into someone to influence them to do her bidding in exchange for helping them be with a loved one that she amplifies their feelings for… U-uh… A-anyways… we d-died in a c-car accident several years ago, our parents passed on while we we're still bound to Earth, and Sis continued to hang out with the people in Xcution while I hid in my mask… T-then… eventually, we began to hollowfy, and sis fled, p-paranoid that Xcution would turn on her, but we stayed close by on her insistence. S-something about watching 'her one and only'... I-I'm not sure… s-sorry. When y-you came along and… well… k-killed Gunjo…"

"She went crazy?" Ichiru asked with a frown, and received a quick nod from the masked teen, before Kou continued. "She wanted revenge, but she'd seen h-how you were and tried to plan… but…"

"But," Urahara interrupted. "She took too long in planning, and the Quincy war occurred. Afterwards, Sandra lost her chance with Ichigo's passing, but decided to act when she learned of his return as Ichiru, and has probably gotten more information from Rukia?"

"Yeah. A-at first, Sis wanted to k-kill Ichiru for looking like Ichigo. T-then when that kept failing, she snagged Rukia and questioned her about it." The nervous Hollowed Bringer replied. "She's so different now, a-and I was scared… I-I'm sorry!"

Kou panicked and clutched the sides of his head. "I-It's my fault! I-I pushed you o-off that bridge and m-made that ceiling beam t-to fall on your h-head!"

At that, Ichiru did a doubletake, then opened his mouth to reassure the distressed figure. "Hey, it's ok! You didn't have a choice. Besides, you _did_ help me out back there."

Uryu calmly placed a hand on Kou's back. "He's right. We've talked about this, remember? You were willing to trust and confide in me, so I can guarantee that you can trust them."

The raven-haired teen sniffled behind his mask, and nodded yet again. "P-please! Help me stop my sister! I swear, I-I've only told you the truth."

"Oh, don't worry, we'd be happy to help! And I know you're being honest. I _did_ slip a truth serum into your tea after all!" The blonde shopkeeper laughed from behind his fan, while everyone simply stared at the crazy bastard.

* * *

Shiro Zangetsu boredly dumped the cups into the sink, as the others had let, with Urahara off to debrief the others, using a recorder that the Geta-Boushi was secretly using, while Uryu took Kou to his dress shop in order to readjust the youngster's clothes to a more comfortable fit. The pale Zanpakuto strolled back into the living room, where Ichiru had moved to sit on the couch, his head thrown back with his hands covering his face. Gold on black eyes narrowed as the albino approached the couch. He picked up a couch pillow and threw it at the teen, only for the orangette to swat the pillow out of the air, and uncover his face to scowl halfheartedly at his other half. "I'm not feeling depressed, thanks for asking."

" **I know that."** Shiro rolled his eyes. " **But, yer still stressed. So, do you wanna spar or vent like an American Valley girl without Wi-Fi? (Then again, they'd probably complain regardless.)"**

"You're just desperate to bring up Wi-Fi, aren't you?" The teen shook his head in exasperation when he received only a wide grin. "I'm just tired, that's all. Rukia's been brainwashed into a Yandere, I've relived about fifteen years worth of memories in the span of a few seconds, I've visited the remodeled Seireitei, saw the former Xcution guys and Kukaku (Ganju too), met new people, got surprise attacked in my own room, all in a couple of days. And after all that, I've been essentially useless."

 **"Oh, come on King."** Shiro plopped onto the couch beside his Shinigami Hybrid. **"At least ya tried, and ya did manage to help get some info out of the Full-Jackass-Bringer. Plus, it's not like ya were knocked out by a measly stab to the gut and was confided to a bed the entire time, providing no help at all."**

"... It wasn't Orihime's fault that she got stabbed."

 **"Yeah, but as the group healer, she has a higher chance of getting attacked by anyone with a brain. Besides, didn't she say, that one time, that Tatsuki had been teaching her self-defense? How come she didn't use those skills to at least disarm Rukia, when she attacked?"**

"How was she suppose to know that Rukia was going to attack?"

 **"I had explicitly told her that Rukia was under the influence of our attacker and to be careful of her."**

"Oh…" Silence settled between the two, as Ichiru slowly re evaluated the extent of Orihime's airheadedness. Shaking his head, the orangette turned to his pale Soul mate. "A~nyways, can we clean up the mess in what's left of my room together? It'll save time. Please?"

At that, Shiro chuckled and lightly whacked the teen on the head. **"Please. Ya don't need to ask, King."**

Ichiru rolled his eyes at the statement. "What, I'm not allowed to be polite?"

The Hollowfied Zanpakuto smirked and moved onto the Hybrid, straddling his King's lap. **"You know what I mean."**

Golden pools glimmered, while brown eyes narrowed, as the porcelain figure casually draped his arms around a tan neck. **"If ya need me for something, just say so. And since yer so stressed, I can help with that too."**

"So, you want to spar?" Asked the orange haired hybrid, innocently. He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's waist.

 **"No, ya already declined that offer, remember? I've need to do something else."** Shiro leaned in. **"So what do you want us to do?"**

Suddenly, the front door (guess someone forgot to lock it) burst open. Urahara leaned through the doorway, his grin growing wider at the sight of the couple and waved his fan at them. "Oh, Kurokatu-san! Zangetsu-san! I forgot to mention that, since it seems like Zan-chan here might be sticking around for awhile, I've prepared a special gigai just for him. So, come by the shop to pick it up whenever you feel like it. Mkay? B~ye! Try not to get too loud!"

With that, the crazy shopkeeper left as fast as he came, closing the door behind him to leave the poor couple frozen with shock as they continued to silently stare at the entryway, mouths hanging open in surprise.

* * *

 **Welp, that's one way to get cock-blocked. I'm sorry if the expositional chapters are boring, and about my poor updates. Being consistent is harder than I though. I-I**


	24. Gigai Shmigai

**Look! An update! Everyone loves updates don't they?**

* * *

Chapter 24

Growling, Shiro Zangetsu moved off of Ichiru, and walked up to the front door, locked the entryway, then kicked it for good measure. In a huff, the albino spun around, only to come face to face with Ichiru, who scowled at the door. Chocolate pools softened as they locked onto inverted golden eyes.

"Guess we're both stressed, huh?" The orangette ran a hand through snowy tresses; the pale Zanpakuto looked away as he silently cursed himself for giving his king more to worry about, but leaned into the touch regardless. Catching the castaway gaze, the teen moved both hands to cup either side of Shiro's head, and tilted his face to allow their eyes to meet once more, pressing their foreheads together. With a teasing glint, the Shinigami Hybrid spoke. "Oi, if I'm not allowed to mope, then neither are you."

" **Che, I'm not moping."** The pale sword spirit pulled away with a pout, his cheeks puffed a little. Ichiru snickered at his boyfriend's attitude, and poked an alabaster cheek. "Are too!"

Swatting the hand away, Shiro bit back. " **I'm not! Don't worry about me. Besides, it's the subject's job to be catering to the King."**

"Still going on about that?" The teen grumbled, then wrapped his arms around the other's waist and pulled them closer together. "Maybe, but a King needs to give back to keep his subject from committing mutiny."

The orangette gave Shiro a peck on the cheek, pulled away, then walked off. With his head tilted in curiosity, confused by the sudden separation, the ale spirit followed his King into the ransacked bedroom. Inside, he found his wielder quickly changing out of his slightly shredded shirt to a clean black tee and crimson jacket, before he grabbed a small duffel bag and stuffed it with a set of clothes he pulled from the closet. Next, the Hybrid turned around and smirked. "Come on. Let's go ahead and pick up that gigai of yours."

* * *

After arriving at the Urahara Shoten, the blonde shopkeeper eagerly led the couple into the back, where he had Zangetsu enter a blank gigai that molded itself to mimic his physical features, before taking the mechanism into the back to tweak the body into a more natural appearance, leaving the two to wait in the meeting room. The King and his horse sat side by side at the low table. Leaning back onto one arm, a grinning albino turned to Ichiru. " **So. Care to share yer brilliant idea?"**

"Nope. Secret." Ichiru looked over with a smirk. Shiro opened his mouth to laugh, but faltered and frowned. " **Ya sure ya want to be pampering little ol' me, at a time like this?"**

The Zanpakuto almost regretted asking, as his Shinigami Hybrid scowled, an old expression he'd rather erase, but he needed confirmation. The teen rubbed the bridge of his nose, releasing a sigh of exasperation. "You remember what Geta-Boushi said, you've said so yourself. There's not much I _can_ do besides wait. So, I might as well occupy myself until something happens again. Besides, I _want_ to treat you to something."

Suddenly, Ichigo turned in his seat, towards the albino, and yanked Shiro forward. With a yelp of surprise, Shiro fell against the other before he gets resituated, and found himself sitting in his King's lap. The teen's breath tickled the back of a porcelain neck while covered arms wrapped around a pale waist, squeezing slightly in an almost apologetic manner. A moment passed after the sword spirit's initial shock, then gave a quiet chuckle as he leaned back, angling himself so his head rested on Ichiru's shoulder. Long orange tresses tickled his pale cheek.

He felt agitation still swirling in the orangette's reiatsu, and thus decided to remain silent. With his own spiritual energy, the Zanpakuto pushed against his wielder's energy, enveloping them both in a sort of enclosed embrace. A snow white hand placed over a tan one. Shiro's smirk softened as he felt Ichiru become more placate, whilst simultaneously wondering just how long it was going to take Urahara to alter his gigai. The silence was abruptly broken by the clatter of a sliding door, prompting the couple to look up.

"Am I interrupting something?" Uryu asked as he stood in the doorway, a single eyebrow raised in amusement.

"N **o**." Came the synchronized reply. The Quincy scanned the room before questioning. "Where's Urahara? I know he's in the shop somewhere."

" **Probably in his super secret lab. He's fixing a gigai for me."** Shiro responded as Uryu walked in. The older Quincy pushed up his glasses. "I seee. Well, when he returns, please inform Urahara-san that I'm temporarily leaving for Hueco Mundo."

"Eh?!" Ichiru stared at his friend in bafflement. "Why?"

"There's been a dispute between the Quincy and Arrancars... Again. I act a sort of middleman to make compromises whenever that happens." Zangetsu narrowed his inverted eyes. " **The Wandenreich is still around?"**

"Not entirely. A several hundred members of the Wandenreich survived, and incidentally, a vast number of them were either against Yhwach's regime, or were simply not loyal. They only joined out of fear and necessity or obligation. So, we we're able to make an agreement with the Soul Society to allow them to live in Hueco Mundo."

"Huh… Well… I guess we shouldn't hold you up. We'll let Geta-Boushi know." Ichiru half mumbled as he rested his chin on his Zanpakuto's shoulder, who noted the dazed look in his eyes and silently squeezed the teen's trembling fist. Uryu nodded with an oblivious hum in thanks. Rather than leaving immediately, the older man lingered as he observed the two entangled in each other, curiously. "I could ask when and how this happened, but experience says to not question this, lest I get a migraine."

" **Good, cuz we wouldn't be able to answer ya anyways!"** Zangetsu cackled from his comfy position, causing the Quincy to sweatdrop at his confirmed suspicion. Calming down a tad, the albino peered past the entryway, smirking wider when he caught movement from behind Ishida. " **So, is our new friend gonna say hi or what?"**

"Oi! Be nice!" Ichiru berated his pale other, smacking him lightly upside the head. The sword spirit tsked, scowling as he retaliated with a sharp elbow jab. " **What? It's not my fault Kou's just hovering in the shadows out there."**

"S-sorry…" The masked head of the Hollowed Bringer peeked out from behind the screen door. The lad awkwardly stood there in silence, his shoulders visibly shaking as a single clawed hand clutched the side of the wood door frame, wearing a sleeveless button-up that fit along with a pair of khaki shorts with one of the legs replaced with a strap to accommodate his mutated limb. With a muffled voice, Kou fought to form a sentence. "H-hi… Ah, sorry again about this w-whole mess."

"Hey, we told you. It's fine." The orange haired teen spoke reassuringly in big brother mode, his eyes softening a bit, as he raised a hand in a gesture of peace. When another moment of prickling quiet settled, the teen cleared his throat. "So, Kou, are you going with Uryu?"

The masked figure rapidly shook his head whilst the Quincy spoke up. "Actually, I was just going to take Kou over to stay at the clinic, under Yuzu-san's care. Since Chad's busy with his construction work, Urahara-san and the others are rather pre-occupied, and Orihime and Nobu… Well, you know how they are." A soft smile momentarily spread on the ravenhead's face as he pushed up his glasses.

However, that smile immediately melted as a shiver ran down his spine. A twin set of scowls burnt scalding daggers into Uryu's face. Zangetsu's shoulders were tense as he leaned forward, as if about to rise, while Ichiru's arms slackened their hold on the Zanpakuto with clenched fists. A devil on the verge of releasing his hellhound. " **W** h **y t** h **e** h **e** l **l** a **r** e **y** o **u** **g** e **t** t **i** n **g** o **u** r **s** i **s** t **e** r **i** n **v** o **l** v **e** d **?** "

Caught off guard by the sudden hostility, the Quincy cleared his throat to gather his bearings, and pushed up his glasses. "It's not unreasonable. Yuzu-san would be a good influence for him."

" **And if she gets targeted?!"** Shiro snapped, fists clenched and teeth bared. Only Ichiru's desire to not immediately beat his friend into a bloody pulp kept arms secured around the Zanpakuto. The hollowfied sword opened his mouth to cuss out the fucking bastard and… What's that thing getting closer and closer to his face?

In a swift motion, Zangetsu tilted his head to the side, allowing the small object to sail past him. A loud "Gah!" sounded, and the pale spirit peered over his shoulder to see Ichiru's head slightly thrown back as a closed fan falls from his face, clattering to the floor.

"My, my. No need to be so angry." Startled, Uryu and Kou turned to see Urahara standing behind them in the hallway, a mischievous smile on his stubbled face. The orangette scoffed, rubbing his sore forehead before letting go of Shiro to snatch the fan from the floor and snapped it in half. Chuckling at the seemingly childish action, the shopkeeper merely sauntered into the room and brought out another goddamn fan from the folds of his sleeve. He smiled behind his fan as both Ichiru and Zangetsu shot him glares of exasperation. With a sigh, the blonde man closed his fan again and fixed the two with a serious look, shadowed by his bucket hat. "Look, I know you're just concerned with for your sister's wellbeing, but, remember, both Yuzu and Karin have matured into adulthood, and each are quite capable on their own. Besides, if anything happens, Isshin is close by. Even if he is a a bit outlandish."

It stung. Ichigo hated to admit it, but the Geta-Boushi was right. He'd forgotten about the years he'd missed within his own family. Who knows what happened for the remainder of their childhood, their graduations, achievements, and times spent in their daily lives. Head hung in guilt, the teen muttered a half-hearted acceptance whereas Zangetsu seemed to go rigid and unreadable. Deciding it best to not push them further, Urahara changed the topic. "Anyways, your gigai is ready Zangetsu-san. This way if you will."

The scientist beckoned towards the open door with a tip of his hat. Almost immediately, the alabaster entity grinned disturbingly wide at the thought of trying out his own physical body. As he stood, Ichiru grabbed and handed off the bag of clothes from earlier. Uryu stepped aside as Zangetsu followed Urahara into the hallway. However, the albino paused as he passed Kou, who was standing in the dim hall, his back to the wall. The Hollowed Bringer was no longer fidgeting, but rather stood silently with his arms dangling loosely by his side, shoulders dropped, and head hanging in internal misery. Having an idea of the cause to this sudden change, Shiro mentally sighed and turned to the figure. As the lad only came up to his shoulders, the pale spirit leaned down a bit, disregarding both Uryu and Urahara's curious eyes and spoke quietly. " **Hey. I'm sorry about our outburst. We're aren't blaming you."**

When the masked form didn't so much as even flinch in response, the spirit continued. " **Don't feel guilty about the choice you made. You might not want to, but sometimes the best way to protect someone you care about, is to oppose them."**

With that, Zangetsu straightened up again and followed Urahara further into the shop, as Kou lifted his head to watch curiously at the retreating snow white back. As he walked, the Zanpakuto couldn't help but ponder if Ossan had rubbed off on him.

* * *

"Fuck off bastard!"

"Now, now, a simple 'no' would've sufficed. I'm just curious about studying your relationship's effects on your soul."

"Great, why dontcha feed that curiosity to someone who cares?"

"Have you two had intercourse yet?"

"Shut it, ya shady perv!" Ichiru could hear two voices approaching out in the hallway, after waiting in the meeting room for several minutes. He could make out Urahara asking nosy questions to quench his scientific mind, while the other was, obviously, Shiro responding harshly. However, his lover's voice no longer echoed with an eerie double tone, sounding similar to the orangette, except for the mild accent and slightly higher pitch.

"Kurokatu-san had referred to you as 'Shiro' earlier. Any particular reason for that?"

"None. Of your. Fucking. BUSINESS!" At the last word, Shiro slammed open the sliding door, which had been closed by Uryu before he and Kou left. Ichiru's chocolate brown eyes widened as he stared at his boyfriend from his seat. The teen hadn't really considered what the other might look like in regular street clothes (other than, obviously, looking like himself but white.), and wondered if he'd been a tad _too_ lucky when he'd packed a random set of clothes. Although Shiro now had bright hazel on white sclera eyes, rather than brilliant gold on inky black, and his skin had been darkened from stark white to a more natural albino pale, he looked relatively the same. However, his Shihakusho was replaced by a simple red undershirt that covered a hard chest and revealed toned arms, while dark jeans, held up by a black  & white studded belt, hugged a slim waist. The denim fabric covered long powerful legs, cascading over defined muscle and reached down to brush the tops of navy sneakers. Standing in the doorway, the Zanpakuto's scowl slid into a sly smirk, dripping with sin.

"What's a matter, _King_? See something ya like?" Ichigo was jolted back to reality, suddenly realizing in embarrassment that he'd just ogled Shiro, with his mouth hanging open, for a good minute in front of Urahara. Coughing into a fist, the teen flipped off his albino when he cackled at the sight of his orangettes' reddening cheeks. Strolling into the room, rubber soles causing the tatame mats to creak, the pale spirit dropped his Hybrid's empty duffel bag into his lap."Come on, didn't ya wanna take me somewhere?"

"Huh? Oh. Yeah, I did." Ichigo scrambled to stand, one hand clutching his bag. Walking past his sword spirit, the teen approached Urahara, who was quietly leaning on the sliding door, the ever present fan covering his mouth while amusement gleamed in his eyes. "Thanks Geta-Boushi. What did you want in return?"

"Why nothing of course! Can't I give my pupil a free present every now and then? You wound me!" Ichiru scowled suspiciously at the laughing shopkeeper, but before he could protest, the blonde man slipped behind him, grabbing Shiro as well, and ushered the two out of the shop. "Now go on! Try not to destroy the gigai, or get too carried away. Shoo, shoo!"

When the three got to the Shoten's entrance, Urahara suddenly paused to question Zangetsu. "By the way, is the name 'Shiro' a preference of yours, or is it a privilege privy to Kurokatu-san, here, hmm? Can _I_ call you 'Shiro'?"

"It's just a nickname. I don't really care what ya call me." The pale being responded blandly, only to immediately regret his statement upon seeing Urahara's overly cheerful smile and Ichigo's facepalm.

"Reeally now? Ok, well I'll see you boys later. Goodbye Kurokatu-san! Zanny-chan!" With that the shopkeeper slammed the door shut, leaving a ticked off albino and miffed orangette alone outside. The sword spirit grumbled inaudible curses under his breathe. Exhaling to calm his temper, Shiro turned his head towards Ichigo to ask where they were headed next, only to find his King already looking at him. Sort of. Chocolate brown eyes had trailed down to stare at his ass… What the fuck.

A devious smile spread on the Hollowfied Zanpakuto's face as he decided to play along. Turning around slowly, he gave the orangette a full view at his bottom, then peered over his shoulder to see his teen making eye contact, stiffened in apprehension for getting caught. With a wink, Shiro gave a soft chuckle. "Well? We going or not?"

Ichigo couldn't help but smile back at his lover's eagerness. He'd contemplated on whether or not he should go through with his idea or not, considering everything on his plate. However, despite still feeling guilt and worry for his friends and family, the Shinigami Hybrid resolved to overcome everything one by one. In the end, the teen was due for one very long talk with everyone, and that includes Rukia, but first, he owed his Zanpakuto some much deserved attention. Reaching out, Ichigo took Zangetsu's hand in his own, fingers intertwined. "Yeah. We're going."

The orangette nodded toward the path before them. "Come on. We need to make a couple stops first."

* * *

Sunlight was slowly becoming a light orange in the evening as Shiro followed Ichigo through the streets, hands locked together without a care in the world. He felt slower in the gigai he was inhabiting, feeling the weight of physical matter clinging to him, but brushed it off as he continued on with his orangette. The two weaved between buildings, after dropping off the empty bag at their apartment. The zanpakuto drank a sort of chocolate milkshake (the cafe had called it a "Chocolate Carnival"), that his boyfriend had bought for him after they'd left the Shoten, as he enjoyed the warm colors that the sun painted the world in, contrast to the cool blues of their inner realm. It was tranquil, a bit boring, but pleasant as they ambled on, feeling no real need to converse to connect. A shadow slipped along.

Looking, the Hollowfied sword's new hazel eyes narrowed as he caught sight of a petite cloaked figure trailing behind them by rooftop. Yet, he felt no prickles of danger nor malice from the lone form. Curious, and repulsed at the thought of shattering his King's content mood, the pale spirit remained silent whilst he kept an eye on the tag-along. Soon, after throwing away his empty cup, Shiro and Ichigo stopped in the middle of an empty lot in front of an abandoned warehouse, built beneath a towering highway bridge that rumbled with passing cars. Rubble was strewn about with scattered mounds of dirt while vegetation and trees were slowly spilling into the barren ground.

Shiro recognized the place as one of several locations that Ichiru had passed during one of his hide-and-seek games with Nobu. However, before the Zanpakuto could ask what the plan was now, he was interrupted by the sound of multiple approaching footsteps shuffling through coarse grass and dust. The couple turned behind them to find several thugs drawing closer, their suspicious glares morphing into shit-eating grins. The albino was dumbfounded as to how he hadn't noticed the group sooner, and glanced out of the corner of his eyes to lock on glowing violet from far away, but instinct saw only innocent attentiveness rather than an instigator.

"Yo, fuckfaces! Yer on our turf, yanno?" Shouted one of the guys, the rest giggling like children. SOme punk bitch in the gang added in her shrill voice. "Drop any money, an' we'll letcha off dis time!"

Shiro and Ichigo exchanged knowing looks before merely smirking at the group, pissing them off. Cracking his knuckles as the fodder drew closer in a pathetic attempt at intimidation, the hollowfied Zanpakuto's grin widened in feral anticipation. He were going to enjoy punching these unlucky assholes in the face, regardless of the lack of challenge. The first goon rushed forward to punch Ichigo, but the teen simply sidestep the clumsy attack and kicked the guy in the side. Off balanced, the goon stumbled into Shiro's direction, who took the opportunity to drive his fist into the fool's gut. The rest of the gang hesitated upon seeing one of their members already groaning in pain on the floor, but rep pride must've won out as the rest suddenly surged forward to converge on the two.

Zangetsu let loose a psychotic cackle as he kicked one person in the side of the head, then spun to throw a right hook into another's jaw in quick succession. Both he and his King practically danced around the thugs, dishing out punch after punch to the stubborn bastards. Despite Ichigo's scowl as he fought, Shiro could feel some of the darkened clouds in their inner world fade, provoking another laugh to ring out. However, the sword spirit internally tsked as a fourth strike managed to land; he realized that still being unaccustomed to his gigai slowed his reaction time. Regardless, he tag teamed with his Shinigami Hybrid, snickering with glee as the gang was cut down to half of its members in only a minute. Movement drew close to the back of the albino's head.

The Zanpakuto tried to duck, but the gigai moved awkwardly in an attempt to keep up with his speed. A rough hand grabbed his snowy hair; he hissed as his head was yanked backwards, both hands outstretched to maintain his center of balance. The burly man had a knife ready and brought its blade against a pale neck. Snorting in mild annoyance, the Hollowfied spirit rached with one hand to grapple the grip on his hair whilst one foot slid across the ground, ready for a high kick.

"Gotcha ya fu-"... For a split moment.. The only sound was a breeze sifting through the dust. The last few hooligans still standing, stared frozen in shock at Ichigo. The orange haired man had seemingly vanished before their eyes, only to immediately reappear beside the albino. His darkened eyes dripped with rage, the man with a knife trembling, his blade lost, as he hanged in the air, held up by the orangette's steel grip on the bastard's neck. Without the subconscious fear of hurting innocent bystanders in this deserted place, Ichigo's reiatsu leaked out, a crack in his suppressed frustration, the energy crashing down on the ignorant and terrified gang, their bodies locked in place.

Freed from his slight inconvenience, Zangetsu tilted his head in contempt at the quivering thug as he watched to see what his King would do. With a snarl, the Shinigami Hybrid threw the bastard into the ground, a sickening pop of a dislocated joint and snap of broken bones was heard as the man's side slammed into the hard-packed earth. The others flinched at the sound of their friend's cry of pain. Meanwhile, Ichigo kept his eyes fixated on the ground. Taking in a deep breathe, the teen pulled his reiatsu back into himself, and away from the regular humans.

It took a moment for the people to realize they could move again. The second it clicked, the group scattered, some limped, whilst others dragged their unconscious gang members away. Zangetsu couldn't help but snicker as he watched them leave.

"Sorry for interrupting you." The Zangetsu turned to see his orange-haired teen giving a sheepish smile as he looked away, one hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"Eh, I ain't mad. It's what yer bound to do it sometimes, so no point in complaining." The Hollowfied spirit strolled up to Ichigo. He brushed the long sunset orange bangs out of the teen's eyes, and spoke. "So, before we were so rudely interrupted, what did ya wanna do here?"

The Shinigami Hybrid shrugged. "Well, we always spar in our inner world. I figured that, since you can walk around in this realm now , we could mix things up a bit with a new location."

"Aww, how thoughtful of you! Guess that makes that little encounter a bonus for the both of us, huh?" The pale psycho laughed loudly, wrapping his arms around the other's neck. "Come on. It's getting late already. Didn't you want my help with yer room?"

"Yeah…" Chocolate eyes gazed into false hazel, seeing the brilliant gold behind them, and Ichigo smiled. He pulled his lover closer into a tight embrace, focusing on only the entity before him. Not yet ready to face the mess waiting for him. Shiro hummed as he leaned into the hug. Looking behind the teen, hazel eyes trailed up the broken warehouse to meet Rukia's violet pools from afar. The cloaked Shinigami seemed to regard the two with curiosity, rather than jealousy that the Zanpakuto had initially expected. Their friend was so close but… No. Zangetsu already knew that alerting his King would be pointless with Rukia's advantage of concealment. He refused to risk rain for a wild goose chase. Thus, the sword spirit shrugged off the knowledge of the petite figure's presence, and closed his eyes.

"Hey, Shiro? You should wear jeans more often."

"Uh… Sure?"

* * *

 **Finally, I get something done. Unfortunately, I have summer school, so updates won't be speeding up all that much, but I'll do my best. Better late than never as they say, whoever "They" are.**

 **So, any thoughts on this chapter?**


	25. Lemon II

**WARNING!: It's gay smexy time!**

* * *

Lemon Chapter II

Ichigo surveyed the remains of his room, standing in the middle of the wooden floorboards, displeasure written across his face. It was late. Although he and Shiro managed to sweep out the loose debris and took out the broken furniture, the window was still gone, the floor and walls were littered with stray claw marks, the light bulb needed to be replaced, and the teen needed a new mattress. At least with Shiro's help, the orangette was able to set aside some time to catch up on his college notes (praise the internet!). A yawn from the Hybrid disrupted Ichigo's thoughts, which led him to think: ' _Screw this.'_

He fetched a small spare blanket from his closet and used duct tape to tape it over the window frame, temporarily covering the hole. Ichigo stood back to evaluate his handiwork. Wit a shrug, upon deciding that the hack job would do for now, the teen carelessly tossed the tape roll onto his desk. "Hey, nice curtains! Very stylish."

"Shut up." The orange haired teen rolled his eyes. He looked over t find Shiro leaning in the doorway, the usual grin on his face. The Zanpakuto snickered. "What? It's a compliment!"

Jutting a pale thumb over his shoulder, he continued. "Anyways, I finished setting up the futon in the living room."

"Oh, ok." Was Ichigo's reply as he grabbed some pajamas from his dresser. "You can can rest there in your gigai. I'll sleep on the couch."

"Eh?! Ya don't wanna share with me? Is the couch really that comfortable to be stealing my King from my sweet embrace?" The albino dramatically extended an arm towards his wielder, his other hand placed over his chest in exaggerated hurt. Not sure whether to laugh or be annoyed, the teen snorted at the display of flamboyance. Walking past the Zanpakuto, the orangette shoved a set of pajamas and a pair of boxers into Shiro's arms. "Come on. We need to shower."

"What?"

"We need to shower."

"At the same time?"

"Yeah." Ichigo shot the sword spirit a look as if to say "duh", whereas Shiro looked perplexed. Not understanding his boyfriend's confusion, the teen stated plainly. "It'll be faster than taking turns."

Zangetsu couldn't help but shrug in response. The spirit decided " _Why not"_ and followed his orangette into the bathroom. A curling smile grew.

* * *

"Shit…" Ichigo gasped through gritted teeth. A soft chuckle, clearly heard despite the spray of water from the shower head, echoed off the bathroom tiles. Leaning back against a strong chest to avoid falling over, the Shinigami Hybrid watched with lidded eyes, his long wet bangs plastered to his face, as a pale hand was wrapped around his manhood, slowly stroking him to hardness.

"What's wrong, King? Yer spacing out." Shiro rested his chin onto a tan shoulder, his other hand lightly trailing over the other's stomach before teasingly pinching a pert nipple.

"Ngh… T-the point of a shower, ah… I-is to get _clean_." The orangette replied between heavy breaths. He reached behind him to dig his fingers into snowy tresses, groaning as his Zanpakuto's strokes sped up and pale lips brushed against his neck. "Maybe, but yer the one who let yer guard down. Besides, ya kept staring at me; haven't we talked about being honest with yerself?"

Ichigo responded with a low growl. His hips bucked when the wandering hand fondled his ballsack, whilst Shiro placed several open mouth kisses along his jugular. The orangette's breath hitched as a thumb swept over his sensitive tip, impatience building as his hips jerked forward again. With a huff, the teen turned his face to the side and yanked his lover's head forward, crashing their lips together, a delicious liquid fire passing between them. With teeth biting and tongues swirling, the sword spirit seemed to get the message as his hands moved even faster and rougher, squeezing and twisting Ichigo's length as pale fingers moved up and down, swallowing every drawn out moan with a hum of excitement. Soon, Ichigo pulled away from their kiss, his mouth hung open and his body stiffened. He released a groan as he came into Shiro's hand, the cum quickly washing away from the shower head's constant barrage.

"Well, that wasn't so bad, now was it? I was just messing with ya a bit." Shiro grinned as he hugged the teen from behind. Ichigo snorted at the comment, still breathing heavily as his eyes narrowed when pale hands released him to reach for the soap. When he turned to see his Zanpakuto happily making suds and beginning to scrub his gigai, it dawned on him that the pale figure wasn't going to make any further advances. A tick mark formed on the orangette's temple; he was still hard dammit! Plus, he had _felt_ his sword spirit's own erection pressed against his back a minute ago. So what if Shiro was probably doing this on purpose to goad Ichigo into acting on his own? The teen was not about to let this go until his dick was satisfied!

Ichigo spun around and shoved the albino against the all, pinning white wrists on either side of a snowy haired head. The soap was dropped and forgotten. Zangetsu found his mouth being attacked, pink lips moving ardent against his colorless ones, pouring sweet a venom into his blood, before sweeping down to nip at his collar bone. The Zanpakuto's head lolled back, already drunk on the attention as tan hands moved down to caress his body, feeling the dips and curves of his torso as the pale being wrapped his arms around his King. He moaned as his orangette grounded against his hardened member, pushing back for more friction. Shiro's breath hitched when a firm hand took hold of his length. A displeased growl emanated from the spirit's throat when Ichigo pulled away, only for the pale entity to gasp when the teen suddenly dropped to his knees and a hot tongue ran up the underside of the Zanpakuto's throbbing dick.

Hazel eyes looked down to lock on glowing silver, swirling with mirth. Ichigo shot his lover a devilish smirk as he ran a hand through his soaked hair, slicking back his bangs to keep out of his eyes as water dribbled down his skin. In an instant, the Shinigami Hybrid took the tip of Zangetsu's manhood into his mouth and sucked.

"Ah, K-king!" Zangetsu moaned as his dick was slowly encased by the other's hot cavern. A mischievous tongue flitted along the sensitive organ, digging into the albino's tip before Ichigo moved his head further down the shaft of the mewling spirit. The Zanpakuto continued to groan without restraint as his boyfriend bobbed his head faster, using one hand to hold down pale hips and the other to massage Shiro's balls. Not entirely knowing what he was doing, the teen went with the flow of his own actions as he slid down far enough, trying not to choke, as his nose nestled into coarse white hair. In no time, a loud cry spilled past colorless lips, back arching off the tile wall as Ichigo deepthroated Zangetsu, swallowing around the member with hollowed cheeks, prompting his lover to finally release.

Ignoring the bitter taste, the teen swallowed and rose up. His mouth formed a wide smirk, the beastly King still hungry, as he pulled Zangetsu into his arms. "I'm not done yet, Zangetsu."

He spoke in a deep baritone, enticing a shiver of ambrosia, that didn't go unnoticed, to run down the Zanpakuto's spine at the call of his true name. Bracing himself against the other, the albino leered in his boyfriend's face.

"I would hope so." He practically purred with lust hungry eyes, while firm hands groped his ass. Hazel eyes widened, a sharp intake of breath, nails dug into tan upper arms as a single finger was slid into the spirit's entrance. Still without any proper lube, the teen had to make-do with his own saliva while his finger pumped in and out of the tight ring of muscles. At least the gigai was new, so they didn't have to worry about pre-cleaning down there just yet, though it'd probably be easier to remove the gigai altogether next time.

Zangetsu bit his lip with a small groan of mild discomfort when a second finger was added to stretch him. Meanwhile, Ichigo attacked his neck, letting that sweet scent to guide him as his mouth bit and kissed the smooth skin before he sucked on a spot behind an ear. All the while, soft mewls were extracted from the Zanpakuto, oblivious to when a third finger joined the other two.

A spark flashed.

"Ah!" The spirit gasped, his prostrate struck. His head was thrown back, eyes closed with an absurdly wide open-mouthed smile as the shock of pleasure coursed through him. As if on cue, Ichigo turned the other around, bent over and pressed against the shower wall, water splashed down upon the ivory back. Zangetsu's anticipation rose, his cheek pressed against the cool tile and hands held against the wall for support. Coming in alignment, the Hybrid pushed forward, entering slower than last time to his lover's relief, who hummed at the sensation of stretching to accommodate his King's size.

Soon, Zangetsu growled lowly, pushing back against his other. In turn, Ichigo pulled back, only to snap his hips forward, ripping an ecstatic wail from his lover's throat. As the King pounded into his soulmate, the two moved in animalistic passion, thrusting and moaning in carnal delight. The Hollowfied spirit's nails clawed at the tile, his heavy gasps lost in the shower's steam as his prostate got rammed into over and over again. He relished the jolts of pleasure that wracked his body as his lover ravished him, keening when teeth sunk into that sweet spot on the back of his neck. Their reiatsu sparked the air, pulling at their link. Before long, Zangetsu finally came with a howl, clenching down on his lover who followed suite, and splattered his essence on the slick tile.

The two paused to catch their breath. Ichigo pulled out, but kept his hands gripped on pale hips. Then, peering over his shoulder, a psychotic smile spread on the albino's face as he teasingly placed a hand on the curve of his ass. "What? Tired already, K~ing?"

The challenging undertone struck Ichigo, stirring up his lust once more. The Hybrid pounced on his other, gripping ivory shoulders, and slammed Zangetsu's back against the wall. The couple initiated a rough make out once more, tongue and teeth clashed. The orangette's hands slid down his Zanpakuto's wet sides, while lily-white arms leisurely hung over his shoulders. With a firm grip on pale thighs, the teen suddenly hoisted his lover in the air, who yelped as he automatically locked his long legs around the other.

In the next instant, Ichigo thrusted into his boyfriend, sheathing himself to the hilt as they started a fight anew. Zangetsu bit down on a tan shoulder with a moan, laving at the spilt blood as he was fucked against a wall. He groaned at the added friction, trapped between their heated dancing bodies. Meanwhile, Ichigo savored pounding into that tight heat. Whispering Zangetsu's true name into his lover's ear, he took an odd delight as he tore apart the last of his boyfriend's sanity. A steady buzz settled in the two's mind by the time they cummed for the third time that night.

When Zangetsu was finally set down, he felt sleepy yet content despite the slight wobble in his legs and numbness that spread in his lower regions. Ichigo couldn't help but hum with satisfaction upon seeing the lazy smile spread on his boyfriend's face. Being the more awake one, he quickly cleaned them both off, letting his albino lean against his chest as he scrubbed them both down. Finally turning off the shower after all this time, the teen grabbed a towel and dried them off before putting on night clothes and helped the groggy spirit into some boxers and flannel pajamas. He could feel exhaustion slowly catching up to him, but shook it off as he picked up his sleepy mate, bridal style.

Zangetsu gave a small grunt of protest as he was hefted into the air once more, but knew it was pointless to argue. Instead, he relaxed into the embrace as he was carried to the futon set up in the living room, the coffee table shoved to the side to make room. The last traces of silver faded from chocolate brown eyes, as Ichigo slid under the blanket with his mate. The teen pulled Shiro closer, and nuzzled snowy hair. Warmth seeped between the two. As they drifted off to sleep, Zangetsu couldn't help but grin victoriously as his King's skies were cleared without a speck of cloud and permeated with a loving sunshine. Even if, only temporarily.

* * *

 **The power of the boner compels ye!**


End file.
